For 16 Galleons
by Ruhgozler
Summary: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten. Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace. Pre-SLASH. WAFF!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
This prologue explains the political background and history of this AU.  
  
A/N: This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
It's pre-slash at the moment. Later it will be Harry/Draco.  
  
Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.   
  
  
****************  
  
Prologue  
  
The Wizarding World of the United Kingdom is a very different place than the one we are used to. The Minister of Magic is the Great Lord Voldemort. He has ruled in an almost dictatorship for two decades. He and his closest advisors, still known as Death Eaters, have their political fingers in everything, including the Muggle world. The government of the United Kingdom is firmly under the Great Lord's rule. He also has influence in the governments of several European countries and the United States.   
  
He and his Death Eaters are not foolish enough to try and rule the Muggles openly; however, by bribing Muggle officials with magical benefits or threatening them in various ways, they effectively run both worlds. The judicious use of squibs married into the Royal Family and other influential Muggle bloodlines is also quite handy.  
  
The Great Lord has made many changes to policy during his tenure. The Ministry now uses the Book of Registry to find Muggle-borns as soon as they are born. Once found, they are taken from their families by subterfuge or outright purchase to be raised as servants to established Wizarding families. Being raised for the position, Muggle-borns seldom revolt. If they do, there is always the Imperious Curse. Occasionally a child slips through the cracks and is not found until they are older. If they are still young enough, they are bought or stolen and introduced to the life of a slave.  
  
Another change is that marriage between magical folks and Muggles has been outlawed. Magical folk are allowed to breed with Muggle-born witches and wizards but not marry them. The resulting children carry no surname and have limited rights but are allowed to actually marry a witch or wizard. Their children are considered fully magical and have full rights. Lord Voldemort doesn't want the magical world to die out, after all. Squibs are married into important Muggle families to ensure influence. Magical children from these marriages are treated as Muggle-born. Witches and wizards of old pureblood lines are the only ones allowed in the ruling class.  
  
On Halloween night, 1981, Lord Voldemort and a select few of his Death Eaters went to the home of James Potter to kill the family. He had already destroyed the bloodlines of both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. With the deaths of James and his children, the line of Gryffindor would come to an end. Afterwards, there would be no descendants of any of the Founders to threaten his rule. He killed James, his wife Corina, their three children, and Corina's servant, Lily. When he cast the Killing Curse on James' and Lily's son, it apparently killed the child but partially rebounded and struck him also. Lord Voldemort's discorporated soul immediately went in search of his servant, Wormtail, who allowed himself to be possessed by his master. Lord Voldemort has continued to rule Wizarding UK in this form. He has a staff that diligently searches for a way to restore their lord to his own body.  
  
Unknown to Lord Voldemort and his followers, the infant survived. Harry was taken away by the Headmaster of the exclusive Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, and placed with his Muggle relatives. As he left Godric's Hollow, Dumbledore set fire to the place so no one would realize a body was missing. Dumbledore was the only person to know that Harry had survived. He intended to use the boy to defeat Lord Voldemort in the future. He placed many wards and shielding spells around the Dursley's house so that no one would detect the magic in the little boy.  
  
He explained to Petunia and Vernon Dursley that the fifteen month old child was the son of Petunia's long lost younger sister. They called him Harry Evans, using Petunia's maiden name. Petunia had always resented her phantom sister. Her parents had never gotten over her kidnapping from the nursery. In the home of Lily's sister, Harry grew up, deprived of human comfort, believing he was unwanted and unlovable. When he began manifesting signs of magic, he was deemed a freak.  
  
The spring when Harry was six years old an influenza epidemic swept Europe and the UK. It was nothing abnormal; the flu sweeps the world every year. However, this year the elderly Headmaster of Hogwarts was severely affected by the illness. Despite the efforts of the school nurse and his Potions Master, the old wizard died. Professor McGonagall took over as Headmistress and Professor Snape became her deputy. For several months they were occupied with resetting all the wards that had been cast by or attuned to the late Headmaster. Life went on and no one remembered Harry.  
  
It took a while for the wards around Number 4, Privet Drive to dissolve. Shortly after Harry turned seven years old, his world turned upside down... 


	2. The Purchase

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
A/N:   
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
*It's pre-slash at the moment. Later it will be Harry/Draco  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta. I've put you both through the ringer with this one.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.   
  
**************   
  
Chapter One  
  
"I want this one, Father," the blond boy said, smiling and pointing right at him. Harry was really, really scared. The past two weeks had been scary but this was even worse. Two weeks ago he had been living in his cupboard and pretty happy considering the circumstances. As long as he did what Aunt Petunia said and avoided Uncle Vernon and Dudley, life wasn't too bad. He had even had two toys he'd saved from the trash; they were little figures of knights on horses. Of course they were missing parts but Harry didn't care. He could save maidens and joust and battle dragons for hours with them just as they were. No one really bothered him in his cupboard with his broken toys and hand-me-down clothes.  
  
Then the two men came. They had talked to his aunt and uncle for a little while, handed them some money and the next thing he knew he was being shoved into the back seat of a car with one of the men. When he tried to ask what was going on, the men told him he needed to learn some manners. After looking at their glares, Harry kept his mouth shut.  
  
The men had then delivered him here. Here was a place the other boys called the slave pits. Harry didn't like it at all. He was put in a room with bars, just like a jail, with four other boys about his age. Since he was smaller than the others, they tried to pick on him at first. But he had given that snooty butt face, Terence, a fat lip and they pretty much left him alone. After fighting off Dudley and his friends these boys weren't very scary, even if they were bigger than him. Anyway, at least he got to eat as much as he wanted. In fact, the men who brought the food told him he should eat more since he was skinny and small.  
  
This morning one of the men had come and got all the boys from the room. He had brought them up to this room and had them stand in a line in front of the blond boy and the man who must be his father. Now he was looking at a finger pointed at him like gun on one of those shows Uncle Vernon liked to watch.  
  
"I want this one, Father," the boy said.  
  
The tall blond man approached Harry and looked him over. "Hmmm, no, son, I think one of the others would be better."  
  
"But Father," the boy began to pout. "I really, really want him."  
  
"Draco, look at him. He's the runt of the bunch. He might be sickly and you wouldn't want to get him home and have to put him down, now would you?"  
  
Harry began to shake. What were they talking about, get him home, put him down?   
  
"Look, Draco. See this? His face is scarred. He has defective eyes. There are better quality mudbloods. Look at this one over here. He's big and strong..."  
  
"That one speaks French, Italian and Latin, Sir," the slave trader interjected. "He's been trained to..."  
  
"No!" Draco yelled. Suddenly Harry found himself being held tightly by a boy about a head taller than himself. "I want this one. I'll take good care of him. I promise," Draco said as he put on his best pout. "I like this one, Father. He has pretty eyes and he's smaller than me. I'll take care of him. He's scared. He needs me to take care of him."  
  
The father sighed and turned reluctantly to the slave trader, "I want to see its papers before I make a final decision."  
  
"Of course, Sir," the trader said as he searched through a pile of scrolls. "Ah, here they are."  
  
The blond man unrolled the scroll and began to read. Meanwhile, Draco was excitedly chatting at Harry. "You're going to be my best friend. Now I won't have to play all by myself. My governess doesn't know how to play and there aren't any other children nearby. I'm not allowed to floo by myself yet and Mother is busy with charities and functions while Father is at work at the Ministry," the boy said with an air of importance. "So Father said I could come buy a friend today. Yesterday was my birthday and he promised."   
  
"Enough, Draco. Mind your manners," the father said sharply.   
  
Harry had no idea what "floo" was, or "Ministry, charities and functions" for that matter. What did the boy mean he was buying him? Harry had never had a best friend before. He wasn't sure he wanted to be best friends with this boy. He seemed kind of stuck up. And what did they mean, he might be sickly?   
  
"So it only speaks English?" the father asked the trader.   
  
"Yes, Sir. This is an undomesticated one, I'm afraid. They didn't find him until just two weeks ago so he hasn't been raised up like a proper slave. His family was quite eager to get rid of him. Apparently, they were not happy when his magic started showing. He's been very well behaved, though. He's quiet and obedient. There was a little trouble with one of the other boys the first day but he took care of it himself. He may be small for his age, but he's tough."  
  
Draco's father went back to reviewing the scroll, asking the occasional question. Draco began chatting quietly to Harry again. "And since you're going to be my best friend you'll get a broom too and I'll teach you how to play Quidditch. We can go flying all the time. And you can see my dragon collection and we can pretend to be dragon tamers. Oh and we can play explorer and Merlin and be knights. It will be so great to have someone to play with."  
  
Harry had no idea what Quidditch was or why he would want a broom but playing explorer and knights sounded like a great idea. Maybe being this boy's best friend wouldn't be so bad.  
  
"Draco, we are going to have to hire a trainer before I can let you play with it," the man cut in. "I won't have you running around the Manor and grounds with a dangerous boy." That sounded pretty scary. Trainers were those men who used a whip and a chair on lions and tigers in those cages. Was this man going to do that to him?  
  
"He'll be good, Father. I just know he will. He'll learn real fast and we'll have a great time," Draco enthused.  
  
Draco's father withdrew some coins from a pouch and handed them over to the slave trader. "All right then. For sixteen galleons he had better learn quickly," he commented as he led the boys to the waiting carriage. "I could buy a new set of robes for your mother for that price."  
  
To be continued 


	3. The Ride Home

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
This chapter, the ride home.  
  
A/N: This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.   
  
****************  
Chapter Two  
  
The carriage was weird. Harry had never seen a carriage before, but he was pretty sure there were supposed to be horses in front. It was huge and black with some fancy writing on the door. Draco jumped in and Harry followed cautiously. Draco's father climbed in after them and closed the door. He tapped the wall over their heads with a stick and the whole thing began to move. It was different from Uncle Vernon's car, smoother and there were no windows to look out of, but it smelt better.  
  
"So, Draco, what are you going to call your new friend?" the father asked.  
  
"I don't know," answered the boy.  
  
"My name is Harry," he said shyly.  
  
Draco's father looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Your name was Harry. If my son chooses to rename you then you will answer to a new name."  
  
Harry gulped and tried to make himself smaller in the seat. Draco looked at him for quite a while before saying, "I think Harry fits him, Father. Can I keep calling him that?"  
  
"If you wish," Lucius shrugged uninterestedly.  
  
Draco kept looking over at Harry and smiling. The blond boy's face lit up when he smiled and it was like looking at a ray of sunlight, or rather moonlight since his eyes were that bluish grey colour and his hair was so pale. Soon Harry found himself smiling back a little bit. It was hard not to with Draco being so enthusiastic about him being here.  
  
"When we get to the Manor I will have Mrs. Carter take Harry to his rooms and get him cleaned up. He can wear some of your old robes until he is well enough behaved to take out into public. I will arrange for a trainer to begin working with him this week. Until he is deemed safe, you will not be allowed to be alone with him. Do you understand, Draco?"  
  
"Yes, Father," the boy said meekly. "How long will it take before I can play with him?"  
  
"I have no idea. You chose an undomesticated mudblood, Draco. They are unpredictable. If he learns quickly then you should be able to play with him under supervision in a few days. If he does not... well, I don't know."  
  
"Will I be able to take him to Hogwarts with me?"   
  
"Draco, that is four years away. You may have gotten rid of him by then."  
  
"But Father, he's going to be my best friend. I will never get rid of him," Draco said with the earnestness of an all-knowing seven year old.  
  
Lucius just laughed quietly and shook his head. "If you still have him by the time you go to Hogwarts, he will go with you. You will need a personal servant there even more than at the Manor."  
  
Harry took all this in quietly. He really didn't understand what was going on at all. What was Hogwarts? Was he going to be Draco's servant? What did a servant have to do? Would the trainer teach him? Would he learn games to play with Draco? He didn't really know any games to play with other kids. He was going to get new clothes? That would be nice. Draco was only a little bit bigger than him so maybe they would fit him better than Dudley's and no one would laugh at him when he wore them. What did Draco's father mean when he said Draco might get rid of him? And Draco wanted to keep him? What was he, a puppy?  
  
"Ah, before I forget..." Lucius said as he pulled out a length of something black. "We need to put his collar on before we get to the Manor." Harry stared wide-eyed. 'Oh my God. I am a puppy,' he thought. He looked down at himself, half expecting to see fur and paws. But no, he still had skin and hands and feet. What did Draco's father mean about the collar then? Before he could say or do anything, Lucius leaned forward and slipped the piece of material around his neck and tapped it with the stick. Harry gasped. It felt like metal but it had moved like fabric. It was snug around his throat but not uncomfortable. He reached up with tentative fingers and touched it. It really felt like metal. He looked up at Draco's father questioningly but the man just smirked at him.  
  
"See, Harry?" Draco said with a huge smile on his face. "Now you're mine."  
  
"I don't understand..." Harry began.  
  
"You belong to Draco. He owns you," Lucius began to explain. "You are a slave, Harry. We own you and you will do what we tell you or you will be punished."  
  
Harry's eyes widened with fear and he reached up to try and tear the collar off.  
  
"You can't remove it, Harry. You will wear it for the rest of your life with us. When Draco tires of you, we will sell you to another owner who will replace it with their own collar. If you had been found at birth like a normal mudblood you would understand all this," Lucius said accusingly.  
  
Harry looked fearfully over at Draco, who reached out to lay a hand on Harry's arm. "Don't worry, Harry. I'm going to keep you forever and ever." Then Draco smiled at him again.  
  
To be continued 


	4. At Malfoy Manor

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
This chapter: Harry meets the staff at Malfoy Manor.  
  
A/N:   
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.   
  
***************  
  
Chapter three  
  
Harry gaped as he followed Mr. Malfoy and Draco out of the carriage. Malfoy Manor was huge. It was bigger than his school. The stone front stretched in both directions for what seemed like miles to the little boy. It seemed as tall as a skyscraper to him. He could see at least four levels of windows. The front doors were so big he was sure a giant must live there. As they approached, the doors swung open to allow them entry.  
  
The room they walked into was taller than the doors. Harry wondered if it was as tall as the whole house. The floor was white squares with swirls of darker colour and sparkly stuff like quartz. It was so shiny it looked wet. The walls were bright white and frighteningly clean. There were mirrors on some of the walls with fancy gold frames and little half circle tables under them. At the other end of the room was the most amazing staircase Harry had ever seen. It started on one side and curved up and around to the other. At the first landing, it curved up and around in the other direction. It did that on every level. Overhead was an enormous thing of crystal and gold. It sparkled so much Harry wondered if it was a tree of diamonds growing upside down.   
  
"Draco, go tell Mrs. Carter that we are home and to prepare a temporary room for your boy. I want him cleaned up and dressed presentably."  
  
"Yes, Father," Draco yelled over his shoulder as he ran through the entry hall.  
  
Draco's father turned to Harry and stared down at him. Harry tried to shrink into the background, but there was nowhere to hide in the middle of the huge room. Lucius sniffed disdainfully and reached up to unclasp his cloak. A man Harry hadn't seen arrive reached over Lucius' shoulders and removed the cloak, draping it across his arm. He then reached out and took the cane. Lucius removed his gloves, never taking his eyes off Harry, and handed them to the silent man and retrieved his cane. The man then brushed Lucius' hair back off his shoulders, looked him over quickly, flicked a bit of dust from a sleeve, bowed slightly and turned to hang up the cloak and lay the gloves upon a small table.  
  
"Jess, I want you to watch over Draco's new boy until Mrs. Carter comes to fetch him. His name is Harry. He is undomesticated so be careful. Please explain to him the rules of the house." With that Mr. Malfoy strode off down one of the hallways.  
  
"Of course, Master Malfoy," Jess called after him. He turned to Harry and looked him over quickly. He obviously found the boy lacking and did not bother to hide his contempt. "I am the Malfoys' Chamberlain. You will call me Mr. Arieta or Sir. You will refer to your master as Master Draco. You will refer to his father as Master Malfoy. His mother is Mistress Malfoy. You will obey whatever orders they give you without question. You will speak only when spoken to. Once you have been trained you will behave properly or you will be punished. For now you will follow Mrs. Carter's directions. She will care for you and get you situated until you are allowed to join the rest of the household. Is this understood?"  
  
"I, I think so, Sir," Harry stuttered. He was very uncomfortable with the man hovering over him. He tried to hold very still but his glasses had slipped down his nose again. Nervously, he pushed them back up. This man was not quite as tall as Master Malfoy and he was thinner. He reminded Harry of his principle at school. He had that same 'you smell like a stinky fish' look on his face.  
  
"It had better be. You will not be coddled just because you are new."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
Just then Draco entered the hall leading a plump woman with greying brown hair. "See, Mrs. Carter? This is Harry. He's going to be my best friend."  
  
Jess snorted, rolled his eyes. "He's all yours, Louise. By the way, he's undomesticated," Jess told her before he left the room.  
  
Mrs. Carter rolled her eyes, then looked down at Harry with no sign of disapproval. "Why yes, Master Draco, I can see that Harry will make a fine best friend," she said as she smiled warmly down at him. "I think you made an excellent choice." Draco beamed at the woman and Harry felt a little less uneasy. "Now why don't you run along and tell Governess about your adventure while I take Harry and get him all situated?"  
  
"All right, Mrs. Carter. May I come play with him later?"  
  
"That's up to your mother and father, Master Draco. You'll have to ask them."  
  
Draco turned to Harry and smiled. "Mrs. Carter is really nice, Harry. She'll take good care of you and I'll try to come visit as soon as I can." Then his face took on a serious look and he reached out and grabbed Harry's fingers. "Please be good, Harry. The faster you learn, the sooner we can play," he said softly. Then Draco was running up the stairway and quickly out of sight.  
  
Harry stared after the departing boy, suddenly missing him. As he started to shake with renewed fear, he felt strong, thick arms pick him up and plant him on a broad hip. He looked right into Mrs. Carter's warm brown eyes. "Shh, there now, Harry. You'll be fine. I'm sure you're a smart lad. Don't be afraid. Jess and Master Malfoy just don't remember what it's like to be a small boy." She held him with one arm even though he was almost too big to be held and rubbed his back with her other hand. "Don't worry. We'll get you taken care of and you'll see. You'll make a fine friend for Master Draco. He's a good boy and he'll be happy with you. You'll get used to this and find that it's a good life."  
  
Harry wasn't at all used to being held and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He settled for wrapping his arms around Mrs. Carter's neck and laying his head on her shoulder. He sniffled and soon tears were running down his face. Mrs. Carter continued to try and soothe him with gentle hands and words as she carried him to the back of the Manor. Harry didn't make much noise as he cried. He was afraid and confused. This place was scary and Draco was gone. Mrs. Carter seemed nice, but no one had ever been nice to him like this. He would try to be good, but he was afraid he would mess up like usual.  
  
Mrs. Carter carried him through the kitchens, where several members of the staff were putting together the Malfoys' tea. A chorus of "Aws" and "Isn't he sweet" greeted them. Mrs. Carter sat down with him on her lap at a small table and they were quickly surrounded.  
  
"Where did you get the little waif, Mum?" one of the men asked.  
  
"This is Master Draco's new personal servant. He's never been a servant before and he's a little nervous. Do you think we could get him a cup of tea and a couple biscuits to soothe his stomach, Susie?"  
  
"Of course, Mum," the younger woman answered and bustled off to fetch the things. Harry clung to Mrs. Carter and buried his face in her neck, embarrassed.  
  
"Oh, Louise, he's just a doll," exclaimed another young woman. "And so shy. He's so sweet."  
  
"Don't let him fool you Jane," Mrs. Carter laughed. "I have a feeling that once he's used to this place, young Harry will be tearing around with Master Draco like a couple of wild colts." Mrs. Carter gave him a little squeeze.  
  
Susie arrived with a small cup of tea and a little plate with some sweet biscuits and placed them in front of Harry. He looked up at Mrs. Carter a bit unsure but, at her nod, grabbed a biscuit and wolfed it down. He sighed deeply and smiled. Biscuits made everything a little better.  
  
Mrs. Carter chuckled and chased the rest of the staff away. "Now, Harry, tell me how you came to be Master Draco's new servant." 


	5. Settling In

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
This chapter: Getting Harry settled in.  
  
A/N:   
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.   
  
I wanted to thank all the people who have reviewed. Those of you who left email addresses, or have them in your profile, I have tried to respond to individually. For everyone else, please know that I am delighted that you are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it.   
  
**************  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Between bites of sweet biscuits and sips of tea, Harry told Mrs. Carter about his last two weeks. He told her about the men who came to the house and that led to him telling her about his aunt and uncle being glad to get rid of him. He told her about snooty Terence and him not being afraid of the boy, which led to him telling her about Dudley and his friends. He told her about the slave traders trying to get him to eat more because he was so small. That led to him having to tell her about his cupboard and Dudley getting more food than him. Eventually, she had managed to get a pretty good picture of his life before being sold as well as what had happened over the past two weeks and this morning.  
  
Afterwards, Mrs. Carter had taken Harry to her quarters. She had shown him pictures of her three sons, who were now grown. Master Malfoy had provided them with good references and they now had good jobs in the wizarding world and two of them were married. Harry had been a bit shocked at first because the pictures moved.  
  
"Oh dear me," Mrs. Carter mumbled. "It will take a while to get used to you not knowing anything about magic."  
  
"My aunt and uncle said magic doesn't exist."  
  
"Well, how would you explain some of the things you have seen so far today?" she prodded him.  
  
"Umm, magic, I guess?" he said unsurely.  
  
Mrs. Carter chuckled. "Yes, dear, it's magic. Here, let me show you a bit." She led him into the bathroom, pulled out one of those sticks, waved it and said some funny word. The bath tub began to fill with steaming water.  
  
"Master Malfoy has one of those sticks, too," Harry commented as he watched in astonishment.  
  
"It's called a wand, Harry. All witches and wizards need one to cast spells. When you get older you'll get one, too."  
  
"I'll get one? Why would I get one?" Harry said, confused.  
  
"Because you're a wizard, Harry. You're a muggle-born wizard but a wizard none the less."  
  
"I'm a what?" Harry exclaimed, looking astonished.  
  
"You're a wizard. You'll learn to do spells and fly and all sorts of magical things."  
  
"Really?" he asked softly. "I'll get to fly?"  
  
"Yes, dear, you will. But now you need to get ready for a bath." With another wave of her wand, the running water stopped.  
  
"I don't need a bath," Harry said quickly. Like any other seven year old boy, bath time was far down on his list of things to do.  
  
"I beg to differ," Mrs. Carter said with a mock stern face. "You smell like you've been riding hippogriffs."  
  
"What's a hippogriff?" Harry asked with big, innocent eyes.  
  
"I'll tell you after your bath. Now get in there and get clean. You can't play with Draco unless you take a bath."  
  
Harry dejectedly trudged over to the bath and started to lift off his shirt. Then he stopped and looked at her pointedly.  
  
Mrs. Carter smiled. "If you need anything I'll just be out in the other room." She turned and left, leaving the door slightly cracked open in case he needed to call her.  
  
Thirty minutes later she was knocking on the door, trying to get Harry to hurry up and get done. Just like any other boy, once you forced him to get into the bath you had to drag him out. "I thought you wanted to know what a hippogriff was?" she called through the door.  
  
"I'm coming," he called and got out of the tub accompanied by vast amounts of splashing. Soon there could be heard the splattering sound of wet bare feet and a very pink, towel-clad little boy exited the bathroom.  
  
"Here are some robes you can wear for dinner. They're Draco's from last year. I think they will fit you decently." She handed him one of those dress looking things that Draco and his father had been wearing. Harry looked at it a bit and finally figured out how to slip it over his head. He wondered what he was supposed to do about underwear, but wasn't about to ask.  
  
Mrs. Carter pinned him in place and attacked his hair with a brush. He struggled a bit, but not too much. He really quite liked all the attention but didn't want her to know that. He didn't want her to think he was a baby, after all. She looked down at him, cleaned his glasses and finally gave a nod of approval.  
  
"Come on then. I want you to watch the Malfoys in the dining room during dinner. I'll explain to you what you are going to be doing once you're trained. Then we'll eat in the kitchen and I'll see if Master Malfoy will let you play with Draco for a bit before bed time."  
  
So Harry got to meet more members of the Malfoys' staff. An hour later he still had no idea who most of them were or what they did. It was pretty much all a blur. Mrs. Carter planted him in a chair behind a wooden screen from where they could see the table and she could explain what was happening. Watching the Malfoys eat was a cross between boring and torture. The Malfoys didn't seem to talk much while they ate. Draco sat there, carefully cutting his food and quietly eating it. Every once in a while he would begin to swing his legs, catch himself and stop. The servants placed dishes on the table, took dishes off the table, put more on the table, poured drinks and offered anything the Malfoys seemed to want. Harry wanted to go eat now. He was hungry.  
  
When the family finished their meal, Mrs. Carter led him back to the kitchen, where they sat with the other staff for supper. Harry started to eat quickly until a hand on his arm stopped him. "Mind your manners, Harry. You're not a Muggle. You should eat like a proper wizard," the young man said.   
  
Harry looked around him and realized that everyone was eating slower and neater than the Dursleys. He tried to do what they did. One flung piece of meat, two spilt forks of peas and a knocked over glass of milk later, supper was finished. Harry was embarrassed. He really didn't mean for his knife to slip and shoot the piece of chicken across the table into Mr. Arieta's lap and it wasn't his fault that he had always used a spoon to eat his peas before and he was sure that if his chair was just a little taller he wouldn't have knocked over his milk when he reached for another roll. He sighed. Would he ever get the hang of this?  
  
Mrs. Carter grabbed a damp cloth and rubbed at his face and hands. Harry squawked indignantly at being treated like a little kid but didn't fight. Finished, she looked him over and smiled. "There we go, Harry. You're all clean and ready to go play with Draco."  
  
By the time they got to Draco's play room, Harry was very excited. Mrs. Carter had said that Draco had toys and would let Harry play with them too as long as he was good. When Mrs. Carter opened the door, Harry stepped in and stopped. He was amazed. There were lots of toys, lots and lots of toys. There were toys that were doing things that Harry didn't know toys could do. It was ever so much more interesting than Dudley's second bedroom.  
  
He was standing there looking around with his mouth open when he heard "Harry!" and was tackled by an excited blond. "You get to come play with me!"  
  
"All right boys, play nicely," said the stern looking woman sitting across the room.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," Draco replied. "Come on, Harry. I'll show you my dragon collection."  
  
Harry followed him over to a set of shelves on one wall. On it were dozens of little dragon figurines made out of all sorts of things. Some of them moved and seemed to breathe fire.   
  
"You have an awful lot of dragons, Master Draco. Why?"  
  
"Silly," Draco laughed at him. "My name means dragon. Isn't that cool?"  
  
"Yeah, it is. My name just means, hairy, I guess." Draco looked at him funny and scrunched up his nose. Then they both giggled.  
  
In a box on the floor next to the shelves were some stuffed dragons. Draco was pointing to various dragons on the shelves and telling Harry what they were made of and where they came from. Harry kept looking at the toys in the box. Some of them looked very realistic but a couple looked soft and squishy. He really wished he could touch one of them.  
  
"Do you sleep with any of these?" Harry asked with awe.  
  
Draco looked around sheepishly to make sure the two women couldn't hear what he said. "Sometimes, but don't tell anyone. Father probably wouldn't like it."  
  
"Wow!" Harry exclaimed softly. "My cousin Dudley had a teddy bear once but he pulled the nose off. I've never had a sleep toy," he sighed.  
  
"Really? I had dozens to sleep with when I was a baby," Draco said, sounding stuck up. Harry was tempted to smack him. Then Draco settled back down. "Now I just have Crunch." Draco lowered his voice, "I keep him hidden behind the headboard so no one finds him."  
  
The two boys played with a small army of dragons and wizards and chatted about various things. Draco seemed surprised to learn that Harry had had a life before he'd been bought by Draco. He asked questions about Muggles and Harry answered as best he could. Harry, for his part, was amazed at the things Draco told him about magic. He wasn't altogether sure that some of it wasn't made up, but he wasn't going to call Draco a liar. The two women gossiped about their charges and speculated about the future.   
  
Soon enough it was time for both boys to go to bed. Draco whined and pouted and once again Harry thought he was a brat. Harry wasn't at all tired and calmly informed Mrs. Carter that he was sure he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Both women just laughed and took their charges by the hand to lead them off to bed.  
  
"Oh wait!" Draco suddenly exclaimed. He dropped his governess' hand and ran over to the box containing the stuffed dragons. He pulled out a blue one with a pattern of stars, planets and moons on it that was just big enough to hug comfortably. He looked at it for a moment, then ran over to Harry and Mrs. Carter. "Here, Harry," he said with a smile. "You need a dragon to guard your bed, too."  
  
Harry took the dragon and was happily surprised to find that it was just as soft and squishy as he had always thought a teddy bear would be. Of course this teddy bear had big teeth, a bright red felt tongue, blue velvet wings and claws, but it was, for all intents and purposes, a teddy - his very first, very own teddy. He hugged the dragon tightly and grinned at Draco. "Thanks, Master Draco."  
  
Mrs. Carter led a skipping Harry back to her quarters. After a bit of a fuss, Harry was finally in his pyjamas and in bed. He assured her that he wasn't at all tired. Mrs. Carter told him that was fine; he could just play quietly with his new dragon in the bed for a bit while she did something in the other room. Five minutes later, Harry snuggled closer to his new toy, Puff, and began to snore softly.  
  
To be continued 


	6. Learning

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
  
This chapter: Harry meets his trainer, Mr. Bell.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Hurry up there, Harry," called Mrs. Carter from the other room. "Mr. Bell will be here any minute now. You want to make a good first impression on him."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," Harry answered as he ran out of his room.  
  
Mrs. Carter looked him over carefully. She licked the palm of her hand and tried to tame a stray lock of hair. It flattened down, then sprung right back up. She sighed and shook her head, smiling a bit.   
  
"Will Mr. Bell be mean to me?"   
  
"No. I don't think so. Master Malfoy says he found the most successful trainer in the country. The man is even hired to work with cases that are considered hopeless. He will be stern and insist that you behave properly and learn quickly. But you're a good boy, Harry. I think he'll be happy with you."  
  
Harry was ushered into a set of rooms that contained a bedroom, bath and small sitting room. There were stacks of linens, clothes and books in various places. Harry stood quietly by the door, waiting for someone to tell him what to do. A few moments later, a very large man entered. He was as tall as Master Malfoy at least, but much bigger. His arms and chest were huge. He had neatly cut sandy blond hair and wore simple robes in shades of tan. They kind of matched his hair.  
  
"So you are the rascal that I am supposed to teach to be a proper slave?" he said in booming voice with a slight smile on his face.  
  
"Um, I think so, Sir," Harry replied as he looked cautiously up at the man.  
  
"My name is Mr. Bell. That, or Sir, is how you will refer to me most of the time. Later we may be playing a bit of pretend where you will call me Master Draco or Master Malfoy. We'll have to see how well you do with your lessons."  
  
"Yes, Mr. Bell."  
  
"Now, how old are you, boy?"  
  
"I've just turned seven, Sir."  
  
Mr. Bell looked a bit surprised. "You're a bit small for your age - not too much, I suppose. I have a daughter two years older than you," he said as he looked Harry up and down. "Can you read and write?"  
  
"I'm just learning, Sir. I really like books."  
  
Mr. Bell smiled at him. "I will make sure the Malfoys know that. They will probably want you to join Master Draco in his classes with Governess."  
  
Harry perked up at that. "I can have classes with Master Draco? I'd like that."  
  
"Well, first we have to teach you quite a few things. We'll start with how to behave properly around your masters."  
  
Four hours later, Harry was serving tea to Mr. Bell, who was pretending to be Master Draco. Mr. Bell had been pleasantly surprised to discover that Harry knew how to fold and store linens, make a bed and generally tidy up. Harry had told him that he had always had to keep his cupboard clean and neat and that he helped Aunt Petunia with the laundry and housework. He wasn't quite big enough to fit the sheets on the bed when they came back from cleaning but he could tidy it up each morning. He was having a little trouble serving tea, though. Aunt Petunia had never allowed him to touch her china or the hot kettle.   
  
"No, Harry, that's too much cream in the tea. Pay attention to what you are doing."  
  
Harry grumbled, "Why doesn't Master Draco just put his own cream in his tea?"  
  
"Harry," Mr. Bell said sharply. "Never speak that way about your master. Master Draco may play with you and give you gifts and call you his friend but he is still your master. Your job is to serve him. You must learn to do what he wants, the way he wants."  
  
"Yes, Sir," Harry said with his head hanging.  
  
"Listen to me, Harry. The Malfoys understand that this is all new to you and are spending a lot of money to have you trained properly. They don't have to. They could just hire someone to beat obedience into you. You owe them for treating you so well."  
  
"I understand, Sir," Harry answered, even though he didn't really.  
  
Mr. Bell sighed. "Harry, don't get discouraged. You are learning very fast. I'm quite pleased with you and I'm sure the Malfoys will be, too. You just have to remember that you belong to them. You are not a guest here. You are a slave."   
  
Harry fingered his collar. It was easy to forget that he was wearing it. It was soft and fit so well it was like part of his skin, only metal. "Yes, Sir."  
  
"Now, try again with the tea."  
  
Mr. Bell was patient. He showed him a few tricks to help him balance things properly so he wasn't afraid he was going to dump scalding tea or biscuit crumbs on Master Draco. When Harry had got things right three times in a row, Mr. Bell allowed Harry to have a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits, too. Afterwards, they sat down and talked over the things they had done all day. Mr. Bell made it into a fun question and answer game. Harry felt like he had done a good job. Mr. Bell had smiled a lot at him and always told him when he had done things right. Mr. Bell said there were still a lot of things to learn but that he was an excellent student. Harry couldn't wait to tell Master Draco and Mrs. Carter.  
  
After supper, Mrs. Carter took Harry back to Draco's play room. Harry bounced through the door and ran up to Draco already babbling about his day. He saw Mrs. Carter go over to the little sitting area. Draco's governess pulled out a pack of cards and the two women began to play.  
  
Draco seemed to find most of Harry's day to be boring but he was quite excited to learn that Harry would be joining him for his classes. Eventually, he pulled Harry over to a closet and pulled out a broom.  
  
"What's that, Master Draco?"  
  
"This," Draco said importantly, "is a Comet Jr. It's the top-of-the-line training broom. I'm going to be a Seeker when I go to Hogwarts."  
  
"What's a Seeker?" For the next several minutes Harry listened to Draco go on and on and on about Quidditch. He wondered if he would get in trouble for shoving a stuffed dragon in the blond's mouth to shut him up. He still had no idea what Quidditch was. He finally understood about brooms, though.   
  
Draco put the broom on the floor and held his hand out over it. "Up," he commanded. The broom jumped up into his hand and he put one leg over it and grinned at Harry. "Now watch," he said and gave a little jump. Harry was amazed. Draco was flying about a metre off the floor. He zoomed around in a circle and landed right in front of Harry. "Do you want to try?"  
  
"Oh, yes!" Harry nodded eagerly.  
  
"Here, hold your hand out over the broom and say 'Up'."  
  
Harry did as he was told and the broom jumped up into his hand just like it had done for Draco. He grinned at the other boy. "Wow!"  
  
"Now put your leg over it. That's right, and give a little jump up into the air."   
  
Harry did and suddenly he was in the air. His glasses slipped forward but he was too afraid of letting go of the broom to push them back up. Draco grabbed hold of the front of the broom and began to guide Harry around and instruct him on how to ride it. Harry started to relax and found he really liked flying, even if it was only just above the ground. He was very disappointed when Draco said it was his turn again. They traded off a few more times. Harry noticed that Draco's turns were longer than his but didn't say anything, remembering what Mr. Bell had told him earlier. Besides, it was more turns than Dudley would have given him.   
  
When Mrs. Carter told him it was time to go back to her rooms, Harry was almost dead on his feet. He said goodnight to Master Draco, who promised to bring a miniature Quidditch set tomorrow to help explain the game.  
  
After Mrs. Carter woke him up in the tub and helped him finish his bath, he stumbled off to bed. He crawled under the covers, hugged his dragon Puff close and drifted off to dream about flying high over the world.  
  
To be continued 


	7. Bad words

I wasn't going to post this link until later in the story, when the boys are older and would match the picture closer. But I just can't resist. Alice drew this!  
  
www*geocities*com/mediumice/HP/ABoysBestFriend*html (replace the astrix with periods.  
  
Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
  
This chapter: Harry's training advances and boy does he screw up.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Harry's training was going rather well. The tasks had proved easy, but the manners and learning to serve someone was really hard. There were so many things he had to remember to do and not to do. Mr. Bell said he was learning quickly, but Harry had heard the kitchen staff talking about one of the stable boys being whipped for doing something and that made him shake with fear. Uncle Vernon had whipped him with a belt once when he had thrown a fit like he'd seen Dudley do the day before. His butt had stung all day. He never wanted to have that happen again. Harry was pretty sure what the stable boy had done was worse than using the wrong title when addressing a guest but he wasn't really sure just what 'buggering a ewe' meant. He didn't want to take any chances.  
  
He was having even more trouble with the serving part. He was really good at doing what he was told. The problem was trying to figure out what to do before he was asked to do it. Mr. Bell called it 'anticipating your master's needs' and Harry was just lousy at it at first. They spent days on it with Mr. Bell pretending to be Master Draco and Harry trying to figure out from 'body language' what he was going to be needing in the next few moments. Mr. Bell said he was improving but Harry was really nervous about it. He had started watching Master Draco in the evenings while they played, trying to see if he could guess what the boy was about to do.  
  
Mr. Bell had told him that he wouldn't be serving Master Draco in the dining room until he was bigger. He just wasn't tall enough or strong enough to do it. He would be serving Master Draco whenever he ate in his own rooms. The table and dishes of food were much smaller. He would also be helping Master Draco get dressed in the mornings and get ready for bed in the evenings. The best part was, his most important duty was to play with Master Draco. He really was supposed to be the boy's best friend.  
  
Once Mr. Bell was satisfied with his progress, the lessons changed. Harry was roused early in the morning and taken to Master Draco's rooms. There, under Mr. Bell's supervision, he quietly got Master Draco's clothes laid out. When it was all ready, he went over to the boy's bed and, for the very first time, woke him up. This experience confirmed for him that yes, Master Draco was truly a spoiled brat. It took ten minutes to get the whiny little snot out of bed and it had been all that Harry could do to keep from grabbing a glass of water and dumping it on Draco's head like Aunt Petunia had done to him that time. He knew that Mr. Bell would be really mad if he did that. Harry touched his collar, reminding himself that he had to behave.  
  
Harry began to notice that every day he did more things on his own and Mr. Bell instructed him less and less. Mrs. Carter and Governess began leaving the boys to themselves for short periods of time.   
  
One day, they told him that he would be moving into Master Draco's rooms. Harry had been shown the room that would be his. The door was right beside Master Draco's bed so that he could hear if his master called for him. It was much smaller than Master Draco's but bigger than his old cupboard. Come to think of it, it was bigger than Dudley's room. That made him grin. Oh, how he would like to rub that in Pig-In-A-Wig's face. So, Harry hung his few robes up in the wardrobe, and placed Puff smack dab in the middle of the bed to guard everything. He didn't care who knew that he had a teddy dragon. Mrs. Carter had said that it was perfectly fine for big boys to have stuffed animals. She said all her sons had had them, might even still have them.  
  
The grown ups had been leaving Harry and Master Draco to play for hours at a time for several days now. The staff had found that Mrs. Carter's prediction that the boys would be absolute hellions together had proved true. The two of them ran everywhere. They had been scolded by Mr. Arieta for sliding down the banisters. The gardener had chased them out of the hedge maze three times. The portraits had taken to leaving their frames when they heard the boys coming. Not a biscuit jar in the Manor was safe. One of the walls of the stable now sported bright chalk drawings of knights and dragons. Harry was having more fun than he had ever had. He thought maybe it was worth it to belong to someone.   
  
Then came that fateful day... They had been chased out of the kitchen before they could get to the pastries. One of the stable hands had caught them before they could get up the ladder to the loft. The gardener was trimming the maze. The boys were bored. Draco had finally told Harry to sneak into the play room and get his broom. Harry knew that if he got caught he would get in trouble and Draco would get off scot-free, but Draco was his master and he had to do what he was told. Besides, if he got the broom, Master Draco would give him a turn on it.  
  
Harry almost got caught by Jane, the downstairs maid, on his way in but ducked behind a curtain just in time. He got the broom and slipped out of the Manor without incident. He took it out to Draco, who immediately hopped on it and went racing around the yard.  
  
What seemed like hours later, Harry yelled at the blond, "It's my turn now, Master Draco."  
  
"Not if I don't want to give you one. It's my broom."  
  
"But I snuck in and got it!"  
  
Draco flew up close to Harry. "It's my broom and if I want to ride it, I can. I don't have to let you ride at all. You're just my slave."  
  
Harry was fuming. His fists were clenched at his sides. He knew his face was red. He had been playing with Master Draco for days, doing whatever he asked. Now he was furious. "That's not fair! You said I was your best friend. You lied to me! You're... you're a... a poop-head!" he screamed.  
  
Draco's eyes got huge and his face went white. He screeched and flew right at Harry, knocking him down. Harry grabbed on and pulled the blond to the ground. They rolled around, pulling each other's hair, trying to punch each other and screaming in childish rage. The next thing they knew they were pulled off each other by two very angry men.  
  
"What is the meaning of this," hissed Master Malfoy. Harry noticed that Mr. Bell, Mrs. Carter and Governess were running towards them and it looked like the rest of the staff were gathered around the windows, watching.  
  
Draco, tears smearing his face, pointed at Harry and whined, "He called me a poop-head."  
  
Harry struggled in Mr. Arieta's grip and yelled back, "He lied to me!"  
  
A few minutes later the men had drug the whole story from the boys. Then Mr. Arieta sat down on a bench and instructed Harry to bend over his knee. Harry immediately covered his bum with his hands, turned red and shook his head.  
  
"Now," growled Master Malfoy, glaring at him. Harry nodded and quickly laid himself across the knees. He whimpered a bit, knowing what was coming next.  
  
Smack! The hand came down on his arse. He yelped and tried to cover it with his hands. Mr. Arieta grabbed his hands and held them in front of him. "That was for calling your master a bad name." Smack! Harry yelped again jerked his hands. "That was for fighting with your master." Smack! Harry felt tears welling up. "That was for refusing to do what I told you to do. Now get up."  
  
Harry stood up and rubbed his arse. It didn't hurt very bad but he was so embarrassed. Everyone was watching. They all knew he had been bad. They were going to be mad at him. He tried to keep the tears back but a few small sniffles escaped. He kept his head down.  
  
"Now, it's your turn," Master Malfoy said. Harry looked up, thinking the man was talking about him. "Go to your room, Draco. I will be up in a moment to administer your spanking. You are a Malfoy. It doesn't matter if you are dealing with a wizard or a slave, you do not behave in such a demeaning manner." Draco looked up at his father shocked. The man nodded his head towards the door and the boy took off like a shot, knowing better than to refuse his father.  
  
Master Malfoy turned to Mrs. Carter, "If you would kindly supervise Harry for the next hour, I would appreciate it."   
  
"Of course, Master Malfoy."  
  
When the man had left to deal with his son, Mrs. Carter approached Harry and stood over him with her hands on her hips. He looked up at her shyly with watery eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Carter, Mr. Arieta. I didn't mean to get so mad."  
  
Mr. Arieta grunted. "As long as you understand that such behaviour is not tolerated in this household."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"Very well then, go with Mrs. Carter. I think Susie is getting ready to make tea." He looked at Harry very sternly but his voice was a bit softer.  
  
Harry took Mrs. Carter's hand and let her lead him to the kitchens.   
  
"Honestly, I expected them to tussle before this," he heard Mr. Bell say behind them.  
  
"Me too. He really is an awfully good boy considering his background," Mr. Arieta responded. "It's so hard to stay mad at him." Both men chuckled and turned to follow Harry into the Manor.  
  
Harry was so embarrassed. All the staff had seen him get a spanking and knew that he had called his master a bad name. He felt like everyone was staring at him as he helped put the tea things together. When he started to put a tray together for Master Draco he was told that he and his master would not be getting tea today as part of their punishment. He hung his head in shame.  
  
When Mrs. Carter told him he could go to his rooms, he quickly got up to leave. Just as he slipped out the door, one of the young men on the staff slipped him a handful of biscuits and told him to hide them in his pockets and make sure to share with his master. With a wink and grin, he shooed Harry up the stairs.  
  
When Harry got to his rooms, Master Draco was sitting quietly looking at a book. Harry walked over and stood in front of him. "I'm sorry, Master Draco."  
  
Draco didn't look up but nodded his head. Harry reached into a pocket and pulled out a handful of biscuits. "I snuck these for us."  
  
Draco looked up and Harry saw that he had cried too. "Thanks," he said and smiled. He reached out for a biscuit and patted the seat beside him for Harry to sit down. "I'm sorry I wasn't being fair."  
  
"That's okay. I've never had anyone share anything with me before. I just got mad when you acted like my cousin Dudley."  
  
"Ew. Was I that bad?" Harry nodded. "I've never had a best friend to share my things with. I get kind of stuck up sometimes," Draco admitted.  
  
Harry was surprised to hear Draco say that. He just smiled and offered another biscuit. "Did your father spank you, too?"  
  
Draco nodded and sniffled a bit. "Yeah, it was only two smacks, though. One for not playing fair and one for embarrassing him by fighting in front of everyone like a hooligan."  
  
Harry kept sharing biscuits until they were all gone. They spent the time till supper looking at Draco's picture books together. Draco went down to eat with his parents and Harry ate with the staff in the kitchen. He was still really embarrassed but the grownups seemed to have forgiven him.  
  
That night, after he had been in bed for a while thinking about the day, he heard a shuffling noise at the door. Then he saw Draco beside his bed, Crunch held tightly to his chest.  
  
"Harry, can I sleep with you tonight?"  
  
"Um, sure, Master Draco." He scooted over and his master crawled in. The two boys drifted off to sleep, comforted by each other after the traumatic day. The guard dragons performed their duty flawlessly, keeping away harm and bad dreams. The next morning, Governess was concerned when she found Draco's bed empty. Then she looked into Harry's room and saw one head of bright blond hair and one of jet black peeking up out of the covers. She exited quickly and silently and went to get Mrs. Carter. The two boys looked adorable snuggled up together.  
  
To be continued. 


	8. Draco's birthday

The aging process speeds up a bit from here. Be patient. There are a lot of interactions during Harry's childhood that will be important later.  
  
Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
  
This chapter: Time moves on and we get to Draco's 8th birthday.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
*****IMPORTANT!***** In the Wizarding World, discrimination is based on purity of blood, not skin color, sex, religion or sexual persuasion. Please remember that as you read this chapter. No offense is intended. This is an AU and I am keeping with their values.  
  
*********  
  
Chapter 7  
  
A couple of weeks after 'the poop-head' incident, Mr. Bell left Malfoy Manor. Harry had learned everything he could up to that point. Everything else would be taught as the need arose, or so Mr. Bell had explained. Harry had done his absolute best over the months that followed to prove that he deserved the trust all the grown ups were showing him. He was far from perfect but he learned quickly to serve his young master and things went fairly smoothly. There was the occasional fight since Draco would apparently never get completely over being stuck up and Harry could only take so much before lashing out. The boys would be punished, Harry would sneak biscuits from the kitchen and the boys would share a book in front of the fire. Later, after they went to bed, one of them would sneak into the other one's bed and they would comfort each other after the trauma of the day. The next day things would return to normal.  
  
Harry learned from Draco that Master Malfoy worked for the Minister of Magic, a man called the Great Lord Voldemort. Draco said his father had been something called a 'Death Eater' years ago and was now one of the Great Lord's closest advisors. He didn't really know what his father did exactly. The boys only knew that Master Malfoy spent a great deal of time at the Ministry and that whatever he did was very important. Draco was very proud of that and pointed out to Harry that the Malfoys were one of the most important and rich families in the country. Harry thought Draco was too big for his britches.  
  
Harry thought that the stories Draco told him about the Great Lord must be made up. Draco had told him that Lord Voldemort was kind of like a spirit and lived on the back of the head of someone named Wormtail. He knew better than to call Master Draco a liar, though. He'd done that once. Draco had bit him during that fight and had not got in very much trouble for it. When Master Malfoy found out the cause of the fight, he had Mr. Arieta use a switch on Harry's backside. He hadn't been able to sneak any biscuits that evening, either. At least Draco had let him cuddle while he sniffled that night. The two of them had an unspoken agreement; no matter how mad they got at each other, they were still best friends.  
  
Harry saw a bit more of Mistress Malfoy than Master Malfoy. She would occasionally visit Draco and see how he was doing. During those visits, Harry would sit quietly out of the way and pay attention in case his master needed anything. The mistress of the house rarely gave Harry a second glance, which was fine with him. A few times, Draco and his mother had gone shopping. Harry had been allowed to go along on the last two trips.   
  
The place where they shopped was amazing. Everyone was a witch or wizard. The strangest shops lined the streets and Harry would have loved to wander for days. However, he was expected to carry some of Master Draco's packages and assist in any way he was told. He followed Mistress Malfoy's slave's example and everyone seemed happy with his behaviour. Mistress Malfoy even bought him a few sets of robes of his own. She said she didn't want anyone saying that the Malfoys didn't take good care of their slaves.  
  
On the second trip, Draco managed to talk his mother into buying Harry a practice broom of his own so that he would have someone to fly with. It took quite a bit of negotiation and the threat of a public tantrum but Draco got his way. The broom was a used one of an older model than his master's but Harry didn't give a whit. He could fly with Draco now!   
  
Almost a year later, the boys found themselves preparing for Draco's 8th birthday party. Harry wasn't sure at first what his master had to be excited about. Draco got anything he wanted as soon as he asked all the time. He knew that several children Draco's age were coming over for the party but didn't see that as a good thing. In Harry's experience, groups of other people's friends usually meant pain and harassment for him. However, Draco promised that none of the other children would be allowed to hurt Harry while they were here. Harry was expected to serve Draco as usual, help keep the wrapping papers picked and put the opened presents away. Master Draco had also promised to let Harry have some birthday cake.  
  
The morning of the party, Harry helped his master get dressed in his new robes and tried to make himself look presentable. He didn't want to embarrass the Malfoys. Master Draco went down to the front hall to meet his guests and was joined by his mother and father. When they entered, Master and Mistress Malfoy looked both boys over critically before the guests began to arrive. Everyone had finally given up on trying to tame Harry's hair. They just looked at it and sighed.  
  
The first guests to arrive were a couple of large boys Draco referred to as Greg and Vince. Directly after them came a boy named Blaise and another named Marcus. Not long after them came a girl named Millicent, a boy named Cedric, a set of twins named Parvati and Padma and finally a girl named Pansy. Both Pansy and Blaise had slaves with them. Pansy's was a short red haired girl named Sally-Ann and Blaise had a skinny boy with very dark skin named Dean. Harry had never seen a boy with almost black skin before and apparently some of the guests hadn't either. Everyone thought Dean was very exotic and had to touch his skin and hair and tell Blaise how cool his slave was. Blaise looked on with pride and kept his arm around Dean's shoulder while showing him off. Harry felt very plain and worried that Draco would want to replace him, especially when he heard Mistress Malfoy say that Dean made a lovely contrast to her pale son. Dean kept his eyes downcast and didn't comment or flinch while the whole mess was going on.  
  
The children then went to one of the back gardens and began to play. Harry, like the other slaves, was standing off to the side watching his master play and wishing he could play, too. He was bored and a little bit worried. He looked at the other two slaves and figured it wouldn't hurt to try and talk to them. They introduced themselves a bit shyly to each other and Harry asked the first question that popped into his head.  
  
"So, have you always been a slave?" he asked to both of them.  
  
"Oh, yes, I have," replied Dean, looking at him oddly.  
  
"Me too," said Sally-Ann. "Mistress Pansy said that you weren't found 'til you were seven. Is that really true?"  
  
"Um, yeah, Master Draco bought me almost a year ago."  
  
"You lived with Muggles until then, right?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I did."  
  
Both children looked at him excitedly and moved closer to him. "Is it true that Muggles live in caves and eat raw meat?" Sally-Ann asked.  
  
Dean laughed. "Of course not silly, they live in tiny flats and smoke lots of fags and laze around in front of the telly all the time."  
  
"Huh? Where did you hear that crap?" Harry asked them.   
  
"From Master Blaise's "Martin the Mad Muggle" comic."  
  
Harry shook his head. "They live in houses, not as big as this one," he said, looking over his shoulder at the Manor, "and cook their food just like we do. Some of them smoke fags but not all of them. I think you may be right about the telly, though. Uncle Vernon used to lay on the couch every night and watch it."  
  
The three of them quickly huddled together and found themselves big eyed and laughing while comparing Harry's childhood to their own. Harry told them all about cars, the telly, cookers and other things. They told him what it was like to grow up in a slave crèche. By the time their masters had gathered around the table of presents, Harry felt like he had two new friends, and perhaps, the day wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be.  
  
As soon as his mother told him he could, Draco started ripping through wrapping paper, tossing it everywhere and Harry had to scramble to keep it picked up. He caught Draco smirking at him and throwing one piece deliberately in the other direction. Harry scowled and Draco laughed. Harry was cross with his master for the teasing but, after opening each present, Draco showed it to Harry and they whispered a few secret comments to each other about the gifts.  
  
Afterwards, the guests and Draco began playing with a few of the gifts and some of Draco's toys that had been brought out for the party. Harry was watching and feeling pretty happy even if he couldn't join the games. Suddenly he realized someone was standing right next to him.  
  
"So you're Draco's slave?" sniped the girl called Pansy.  
  
"Yes, Miss, I am. Is there anything I can do for you?" He hoped there wasn't because he wasn't sure what he should do for someone who wasn't his master and had her own slave.  
  
"At least you're polite and know your place."  
  
"Thank you, Miss," he replied.  
  
"I'm Pansy Parkinson. I'm Draco's fiancée."  
  
"I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Parkinson," he said as he gave a small bow and wondered what the heck a fiancée was.  
  
"Draco seems awfully friendly to you."  
  
Harry felt a bit confused. "Master Draco bought me to be his best friend, Miss Parkinson."  
  
Pansy sniffed, "You know, of course, that when I marry Draco he will have to get rid of you. I don't like you."  
  
Just then Mr. Arieta floated out a huge birthday cake with little figures of knights and dragons racing back and forth across it. Draco and his guests all gathered around the table and climbed onto chairs. Draco blew out the candles and refused to tell anyone what his wish had been, no matter how much they teased him. Harry stood just behind his master's chair and thought about what Pansy had told him. He felt a little better when Draco gave him a piece of cake.  
  
Hours later, the guests had left and Harry was putting away his master's new things while Draco rattled on and on about each of his guests. He didn't seem impressed with any of them.  
  
Finally Harry scuffed his toe and worked up the courage to broach the subject of Dean. "So, um, what do you think of Blaise' slave? He's pretty cool."  
  
"Huh? Oh, I suppose so. He's not as cool as you, though."  
  
Harry felt like he had just been given his own birthday present. He grinned and said, "You mean you don't want to trade me for him?"  
  
"What? No way," he said and grinned back at Harry.  
  
Then Harry asked, "What's a fiancée, Master Draco?"  
  
"A fiancée? That's the girl a boy is supposed to marry when he grows up."  
  
"You're supposed to marry Miss Pansy when you grow up?"  
  
"I think so. Pansy said we are and I asked Mother and Father about it. They said they were still 'negotiating' it, whatever that means."  
  
"Will you get rid of me when you marry her? She said she would make you," asked Harry, pouting.  
  
"Make me? She can't make me do anything," announced Draco defiantly. "Besides, you're my best friend. I'm keeping you forever. She doesn't even know how to play sword fight. All girls want to do is talk about clothes and dolls. That's no fun."  
  
Harry grinned at his master, feeling much better about his place in the world. They grabbed the new set of swords Draco had got and raced up and down the hallway, threatening the 'scurvy' portraits until the occupants finally fled their frames.  
  
When they had settled down again in Draco's room again, Harry asked, "What happens when you get married?"  
  
"Um, I think I have to kiss her in front of everybody and then we go home and she has babies."  
  
"Really? That's gross. I'm glad I don't have to marry a fiancée."  
  
Draco sighed deeply. "I wish I didn't either. Hey, maybe Mother and Father will let you be my fiancée! It would be a lot more fun to marry you than some dumb girl."  
  
Harry giggled. "Then you would have to kiss me in front of everyone. Boys don't kiss boys." Suddenly he scowled. "I don't want to have babies."  
  
"Stupid. Only girls can have babies," Draco said in his know-it-all voice. "And I can kiss whoever I want." With that he leaned over and smashed his lips to Harry's. His nose smeared Harry's glasses and he pulled away with a 'Mwa' sound. Both boys looked at each other for a minute, making odd faces.  
  
"That was weird," Harry said.  
  
"Yep. I don't get it. The gardener and the upstairs maid seemed to really like it when I saw them in the hallway that time."  
  
"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon always made a lot of noise when they kissed. Kind of like it hurt or something."  
  
"Maybe it's different when you're a grown up?"  
  
Harry shrugged his shoulders and they rushed off to resume their sword fight against the evil pirates that had invaded the front stairway.  
  
To be continued. 


	9. Draco's lessons

Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed. It really encourages me.   
  
This chapter is a bit short but I think the next two will make up for that.  
  
Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
  
This chapter: Draco has lessons. Of course he drags Harry into them.   
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
Remember, history is written by the winners.  
  
************  
  
Chapter 8  
  
The previous Winter, Harry had been to busy with his training to really pay much attention to the fact that Draco had lessons of his own. This year was to be different. He was to join his master in his classes with Governess to improve his own Reading, Writing and Math abilities. He was also to learn Wizarding History.  
  
Master Draco's lessons were more intense and varied than Harry's. While Harry was expected to understand his subjects and do passably well in them, Draco was expected to master them. In addition to Reading, Writing, Math and History, Draco also had to learn how to dance, proper etiquette, French and Latin and was being introduced to Politics.  
  
Harry was sitting on the floor out of the way, supposedly practicing his numbers. Master Draco was in the middle of the floor attempting to lead Governess in a dance. Harry thought they looked extremely silly. He was glad he didn't have to do something as stupid as learn how to dance and tried to hide his giggling behind his hand.  
  
Draco dropped Governess' hands and whirled around to face Harry. "That's it!" he yelled as he stomped over. He reached down and grabbed Harry by the arm, pulling him up. Harry was expecting a punch or a shove. Instead, Draco pulled him out into the middle of the floor and into the position Governess had just been in. "If you think it's so funny, you can just be the girl."  
  
Harry just stood there with his mouth hanging open for a minute. "Why do I have to be the girl?" he whined.  
  
Draco shoved his hip, trying to get him to move. "Because I have to learn to dance with girls and you don't. Now move your feet." Draco looked really mad. Harry thought it best to just go along for now, even it meant being the girl.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Governess hiding a grin behind her hand. He glared at Draco, who glared right back. Governess then started the music again and the two boys stumbled around.  
  
Slowly but surely Harry found himself involved in all of Master Draco's lessons. Next came the languages. Draco was practicing French with Governess when he paused and asked, "Governess, wouldn't it be easier for me to learn if I had someone to practice with when you aren't here?"  
  
"What do you have in mind, Master Draco?"  
  
"I was thinking that Harry should learn French and Latin, too. That way I have someone to practice with and when I go to Hogwarts, I'll have a servant that knows more than just English."  
  
"I'll see what your father says."  
  
The next day Harry found himself learning what verbs were and how to 'roll his Rs'. The next week, Master Draco suggested Harry join him for etiquette lessons. His reasoning was that Harry hadn't grown up in a slave crèche so he didn't already know and Malfoys would never have anything less than the best. Again, Draco got his way.   
  
Last came politics. This was where Harry learned that Master Draco wasn't lying when he had told him about the Great Lord. Governess told the boys about the night Lord Voldemort was drawn into battle with his mortal enemy, James Potter. She explained that Potter had been trying to put together a rebellion. The Great Lord had gone to destroy Potter and his entire family as a warning to any other rebels. She told them that Corina's slave had set a trap for the Great Lord at last minute, so that when he killed the last child, his body was destroyed. But the Great Lord was more powerful than the slave had realized and his soul survived and now resided in one of his servants. That servant, Wormtail, had gone from being a lowly slave to one of the most revered persons in the Ministry for his sacrifice.   
  
When the boys asked more about this, she told them that the best of Lord Voldemort's people were looking for a way to give the Great Lord his own body. Master Draco's own father was the head of the project and his godfather, Professor Snape, at Hogwarts was the Potions Master for the project. It was rumored that they had found the solution and were conducting final tests before using it on the Great Lord.  
  
That afternoon the boys created a new game. "Okay, I'll be the Great Lord and you be Potter."  
  
Harry huffed, "I don't want to be Potter. Why do I have to be the bad guy?"  
  
"Well, there wasn't anyone else there. Who could you be?"  
  
"I know!" Harry said brightly. "Let's pretend that he took his best Death Eater with him because he knew it was a trap. You be Lord Voldemort and I'll be your father. We can hunt down the traitors together."  
  
They spent the afternoon racing around the grounds terrorizing the staff, shooting sparks out of their practice wands.  
  
That evening before dinner, Draco told his father about the new game. Master Malfoy looked startled at first, then laughed. Mistress Narcissa looked like she might laugh, too. Harry was surprised when Master Malfoy actually turned to him and smiled saying, "Well, Harry, make sure you play me well. Make me strong and cunning so the Potters don't get the Great Lord." Harry looked wide-eyed and nodded.  
  
That night Harry dreamed of being a hero and saving the Great Lord by destroying the evil Potters and Lily before they could set the trap.  
  
To be continued 


	10. The Letters

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
  
This chapter: Draco gets a very important letter. They go shopping.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Harry still whined when he had to be the girl during dance. He would never admit to anyone that he had discovered a secret love for weaving the intricate patterns across the dance floor with a partner. Governess had commented many times on how well both boys danced. Over the past couple of years various members of the staff had peeked in to watch the lessons. Master and Mistress Malfoy had come to watch one day and ended up joining them, whirling and twirling across the floor. It had become a regular ritual now for the elder Malfoys to join the boys. With two couples, they were better able to understand some of the more complicated patterns. Mistress Malfoy smiled at Harry and always complimented him on his technique. Harry had even seen Master Malfoy look at him with slightly friendlier eyes than when he had first been purchased.  
  
Harry had realized that there was a softer side to the Malfoys. They were wealthy, arrogant and powerful, but still capable of feeling for their son and their staff. As he got older he noticed that they both, especially Master Malfoy, had a deep affection for Mrs. Carter. They respected and trusted Mr. Arieta. They knew all their servants by their first names. He supposed that you really had to know them well to see how much they cared. He figured that, when he first got here, they hadn't expected him to last. The longer he was here, the more they showed him. That thought made Harry feel warm inside.  
  
Even better, though, was how close he and Master Draco had become. Granted, he was still a slave, but Draco hadn't been lying when he said Harry was going to be his best friend. They did everything together. It had taken Harry a month to figure out that Draco had wanted Harry to share his classes because he liked Harry's company. The two boys were inseparable. They played, studied and wreaked havoc together. Their favorite time, though, was in the evenings, when they would curl up together on the couch to read a book. One or the other of them would read out loud until neither of them could keep their eyes open. Many nights, Governess would have to go get one of the men to carry the sleeping boys to their beds.  
  
A month before Draco's 11th birthday, an owl came for him at breakfast. Harry looked over his master's shoulder to see. Sure enough, there was the Hogwarts seal on the envelope. Master Draco had been anxiously awaiting this letter for a month. Harry was also anxious but for a different reason. He was afraid he would be left behind while Draco went off to school. He loved the Manor but he would be lost without his best friend. He watched intently as Draco ripped the letter open.  
  
//Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall  
  
(Order of Merlin, Third Class.)  
  
Dear Mr. Malfoy,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
  
Term begins 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Severus Snape  
  
Deputy Headmaster  
  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry//  
  
There was also a list of supplies and books included. At the end of this page was a note that read:  
  
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT STUDENTS ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO BRING ONE SLAVE.  
  
Master Draco was smiling. He had got quite good at keeping control over his emotional expression, but Harry could tell the boy was ecstatic. Looking up he saw pride in the eyes of Draco's parents. He carefully schooled his own features to not show the anxiety he felt.  
  
"Well, Draco," prompted Master Malfoy. "Is that the letter you have been waiting for?"  
  
"Yes, Father. I've been accepted to Hogwarts."  
  
In a rare show of emotion, Mistress Malfoy beamed at her son. Harry was always amazed at how her smiles transformed her from a cold aristocrat into a warm mother. "I'm so proud of you, Draco."  
  
Harry secretly nudged Draco and gave him a questioning look. They had both been wondering about whether or not Harry would get to go with Draco to school.  
  
"Father," Draco said.  
  
"Yes, Draco?"  
  
"Will I be allowed to take Harry to school with me? The letter says I can take one slave."  
  
Master Malfoy seemed to consider for a few moments. "I have to admit that I had my doubts that you would keep Harry for this long. I want you to know that I am impressed with your judgment, Draco. It does look like you are going to be keeping him for many years. I think it would be a good idea for Harry to accompany you. I will notify Professor Snape and he will send a supply list for Harry. You will have to wait until then to go to Diagon Alley."  
  
"Won't his list be just like mine, Father?"  
  
"No, Son. Slaves have their own classes. They only learn the things they will need to know in order to serve their masters."  
  
Harry and Draco exchanged surprised glances. "Can you send the letter to Professor Snape today? I want to go to Diagon Alley soon."  
  
"I'll send it right after breakfast."  
  
"Thank you, Father."  
  
"Thank you, Master Malfoy," Harry said with a slight bow.  
  
Master Malfoy didn't reply, but nodded his head slightly and Harry caught the hint of a smile on the man's lips. Relief washed over him. He was going to Hogwarts!  
  
The boys spent the day talking excitedly about Hogwarts and wondering what it would be like. What classes would they each take? Would Harry be sorted into a House like Draco? What if he was sorted into a different House than his master? Would they get to share a room? What animal was Master Draco going to take with him? What kind of wands would they get?  
  
**********  
  
The next morning found the boys bounding down the stairs, much to the consternation of Mr. Arieta. They raced past him, but came to a screeching halt in front of the morning room doors. They looked at each other and straightened their robes and hair before Harry opened the doors allowing Draco to enter sedately. He followed his master to the table, barely keeping himself from bouncing. The response from Hogwarts with his supply list was due this morning. He could hardly stand it.  
  
Partway through Master Draco's breakfast a brown owl swooped in and landed just in front of his plate. Harry watched excitedly as his master opened the letter.  
  
//Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall  
  
(Order of Merlin, Third Class.)  
  
Dear Mr. Malfoy,  
  
We are pleased to learn that you wish for your slave to be educated at our school. We have one of the finest Professors in England teaching our slave classes. We are confident that you will be pleased with your slave's education. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
  
Term begins September 1.   
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Severus Snape  
  
Deputy Headmaster  
  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry//  
  
The attached list of supplies Harry would need was similar to, but shorter than his master's. He really didn't care at the moment. He and Draco fought to keep from breaking into huge grins.   
  
After Draco finished his breakfast Harry went to the kitchens for his own. Mrs. Carter and the rest of the staff congratulated him on getting to go to Hogwarts. He wolfed down his breakfast and ran to Draco's room. They waited impatiently for the time to go buy their supplies.  
  
Just before lunch they met Mistress Narcissa in the entry way. They each grabbed hold of the portkey and almost immediately arrived in the back of the Leaky Cauldron. Mistress Narcissa tapped the bricks in the wall with her wand. Harry was still amazed every time he watched the wall open.   
  
First they went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for their school robes while Mistress Narcissa and her slave went to Flourish and Blotts for their books. They picked up quills and parchment on their way to the cauldron shop. They stared in awe at the solid gold cauldrons but had to be satisfied with pewter ones. They were both fascinated by the disgusting and intriguing things found in the Apothecary, but Draco's mother wouldn't allow them to buy anything that wasn't on their lists. Finally they stood inside Ollivander's, waiting to be matched to their wands.   
  
Mr. Ollivander and his dark, dusty store were extremely creepy. The man seemed to remember every wand he'd ever sold. The tape measure that seemed to have a mind of its own didn't help any. It really didn't take very long before Master Draco had been matched with a wand. It was English Walnut and unicorn hair. Then it was Harry's turn.   
  
After what seemed like a hundred wands, Harry finally found his match. He took hold of the holly and phoenix feather wand and felt warmth in his fingers. When he swished it through the air, a stream of red and gold sparks shot out from the end. Mr. Ollivander put the wand back in its box and wrapped it up.  
  
"Well, that is most interesting," mumbled the proprietor.  
  
"What is that, Mr. Ollivander?" inquired Mistress Narcissa.  
  
"It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your slave's wand gave only one other. The wand that other feather is in belongs to the Great Lord himself."  
  
Mistress Narcissa raised her elegant eyebrow, "Really? That is interesting." She smiled down at the boys. "You should feel very privileged, Harry, to be matched with the brother wand of Lord Voldemort."  
  
Harry stared in awe at the box in his hands. "I do, Mistress. I really do." He couldn't believe that he had just been matched to a wand that had connections to the greatest wizard in the world. That was just too cool.  
  
They paid for their wands and left. The last thing they had to do was pick up an owl for Draco. It didn't take long. Mistress Narcissa gave in to the pleadings of her son and they all had ice cream at Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor before heading home. Harry thought privately that she had given in rather easily. She certainly seemed to have enjoyed her own sundae.  
  
The boys spent the rest of the day going through their supplies and thinking longingly of their wands. They weren't allowed to touch them until September 1st. It was going to take forever for the rest of the summer to go by.  
  
To be continued. 


	11. Hogwarts!

This chapter has been edited. Several people pointed out something that I had not taken into consideration. The changes reflect that.  
  
Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
Due to the laws of this AU, several canon characters can not exist. Therefore I have had to create several OC students. None of these will be even remotely main characters, however you will come across them.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
The ride on the Hogwarts Express had been wonderful. Harry had never seen so many children in his life. Most of the children who had attended Master Draco's birthday parties stopped by their compartment, so he got to see Sally-Ann and Dean again. They chatted for a bit while their masters talked. Harry was beginning to get angry watching Miss Pansy hang onto Master Draco's arm.  
  
After a bit Miss Millicent joined them. She now had a slave with her as well. Harry introduced himself and the other two. The new girl, who had rather large front teeth, brown eyes and bushy brown hair, introduced herself as Hermione.  
  
The four slaves were every bit as excited about going to school as their masters. Hermione had already read all her books and was hoping they would be allowed access to the library so she could learn more on her own. Harry was excited about learning but thought that this girl was going just a bit overboard. He and Dean had just started talking about the Quidditch program when he was distracted by Draco and Pansy.  
  
"Get off me, Pansy! You're like a leech."  
  
"But, Draco, I just want you to know I love you," the stupid girl replied.  
  
"Gross! Why don't you love me from over there," he said as he pointed to the other side of the compartment.  
  
"Come on, Pansy," said Miss Millicent. "Boys just don't understand love." Pansy stuck her tongue out at Draco and stomped over to sit by Millicent.  
  
"Girls," grumped Blaise, shaking his head.  
  
Harry smiled to himself, glad to see the twit put in her place. He had never forgiven her for those comments she'd made at Draco's 8th birthday party. He and Dean moved near Draco and Blaise so they could talk about 'boy' things while the girls huddled together giggling. The boys all thought it was disgusting.  
  
When they arrived at Hogwarts they were ushered by a huge man into several small boats. Harry and Draco sat with Blaise and Dean. The ride across the lake was wonderful. The castle was incredible. On the other shore, they got out and walked up the front stairs in a tight group. At the top they were met by a tall, skinny man with stringy black hair and a large nose and a slightly shorter, slim man with light brown hair and eyes. The first man scowled but the second one had a welcoming smile.  
  
"I'm Professor Snape," the first man informed them. "I am the Deputy Headmaster. I need all students to line up over here and all slaves to gather around Professor Lupin over there."   
  
Harry glanced at Draco and saw that his master was just as nervous about this as he was. They both schooled their faces like they had been taught and didn't let any of the other children know their feelings. Harry moved away from his master and joined the other six slaves with the smiling professor, who looked at him oddly for a moment.  
  
When the two groups were separated, Professor Snape told them all to stay where they were while he and Professor Lupin checked to see if the Headmistress was ready. As soon as he was out of site a red haired boy turned on Draco.  
  
"You must be Malfoy," he hissed.  
  
"Why yes, I am. No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and hand me down robes," Draco arrogantly shot back.  
  
The Weasley boy glared at Draco. "Hmph," sniffed the red head. "I might have known a family like yours would own slaves," he said as he looked over at Harry.   
  
"Well, it doesn't surprise me that you don't have one. Obviously your parents can barely afford you. Perhaps you should help them and hire yourself out as a servant. I'm sure we could find someone to take pity on you."  
  
As Weasley's face turned red, Harry moved to his master's side, not caring what the professors might say when they returned. If someone was going to attack Master Draco they were going to have to get past him first.  
  
"Ha! You can't even fight your own battles. You have to own someone to do it for you."  
  
As Draco pulled his wand on the prat, Harry stepped closer. "Master Draco doesn't need anyone to fight his battles for him, but if you are going to attack him, I will fight with him," he growled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Draco standing next to him, sneering at the other boy. Together they could take on anything.  
  
Before things could go any further the two professors came back. They stopped, taking in the situation quickly. "If our combatants will kindly stand down," Professor Snape said, scowling at the three of them, "and return to their proper places," he sneered at Harry, "we can proceed with the Sorting Ceremony."  
  
Draco put away his wand with a last smirk at Weasley and Harry returned to the group of slaves. The red head grumbled and turned back to another small group of boys.  
  
Professor Snape addressed the students. "You will follow me into the Great Hall and proceed in an orderly manner to the front. You will stand patiently until I call your name. When you hear your name, you will sit on the stool and place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once the Hat announces your new House, you will proceed to that House Table. Does everyone understand?"  
  
All the students nodded in agreement. Professor Snape opened the huge double doors and Harry watched as his master and the other students filed into the hall. Professor Lupin then turned to his students.  
  
"We will wait here until your masters are sorted. Once you see which table they are going to sit at, you will enter the Hall quietly and go sit at this end of your master's table with the other slaves in your House. Does everyone understand?"  
  
They all nodded and craned their necks to see into the Hall.  
  
"After dinner, you will all accompany your masters to their rooms. Your things will already be there. Tomorrow morning you will return to the Great Hall with your masters. You will always sit at this end of your House Table with your fellow slaves. When we are finished, we will all proceed to class together."  
  
"Are you a slave, too, Professor?" Sally-Anne asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry wanted to do the same. The professor wasn't wearing a collar.  
  
"No. I'm not, but I am going to be your instructor," he answered as the ratty old hat at the front of the hall finished its song and called out the first student's name.  
  
Harry watched anxiously as Draco got closer to being called. When it was his master's turn, he held his breath. Draco sat on the stool, looking as arrogant as he could be. The hat didn't even sit completely on his head before it yelled out "Slytherin!" He saw what table Draco was heading for and began walking that way. Shortly after Draco sat down, Harry was seated at the slave's end of the table. Draco glanced over at him and gave a slight nod before returning his attention to the sorting.   
  
Harry didn't really care where any of the other students ended up so he looked at the other tables. He was surprised to see that the numbers of slaves was not evenly distributed. He had never really thought before about whether or not everyone owned a slave. He counted twenty-one slaves at the Slytherin table besides himself, three slaves at the Hufflepuff table, ten at the Ravenclaw table and five at the Gryffindor table on the far side of the Hall. Up at the Head Table, only the Headmistress and Deputy Headmaster had slaves of their own.  
  
Once during the feast he caught Professors Lupin and Snape speaking quietly to each other and looking up directly at him. Suddenly Professor Snape glared at him before turning the look upon Professor Lupin and speaking sharply. Professor Lupin laughed and smacked the Deputy Headmaster on the shoulder before quickly jumping out of range as Snape shoved at him. Professor Lupin sat down still grinning and Harry swore he saw an amused smirk on Professor Snape's face as he turned back around to eat.  
  
When the ceremony and speeches were finished, the table filled with food. The students ate and talked noisily. When they were all finished, the Headmistress stood and gave several announcements about the rules. They were all then told to go to bed. Harry waited for Draco and followed him down into the dungeons to their new quarters. The Slytherin dormitories were a warren of passages and rooms. The older students said it was the largest House dormitory in the school. It turned out that Slytherin students who had slaves got their own rooms. The Prefect told them that the other houses weren't as lucky.  
  
The room had two beds. One large four poster was centered on the far wall and a smaller one on the wall nearer the door. Harry checked that all his and Master Draco's things were put away properly. He made sure that Crunch and Puff had suitable hiding places behind their headboards, too. They didn't want any of the other students to know they had brought their stuffed dragons with them, but neither boy had been willing to leave the toys at home. Then he and Draco gathered their things and wandered to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Finally, after what seemed to be the longest day of their lives, the boys crawled into their beds.  
  
"Good night, Harry."  
  
"Good night, Master."  
  
To be continued. 


	12. First day of school

Phew! I'm writing again, finally. Sorry for the delay. Will I get to meet any of you at Nimbus 2003?  
  
Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
Archive: Please ask.  
  
Summery: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
  
This chapter: Classes begin and a mystery rears it's head.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
The next morning began in a rush. As usual, Harry had to physically haul Draco out of bed and push him towards the bathroom. He suspected that it was mostly an act and that Draco just enjoyed the attention. It was rather a fun way to start the morning.  
  
The two boys brushed their teeth and combed their hair. The Malfoys had discovered that if they let Harry's hair grow out just a bit it was more manageable and looked much better. He was just glad they didn't insist he slick it back like Draco's. It wasn't long enough to tie back but it still looked pretty cool. Once they were in their new school uniforms they grabbed their book bags and raced to the Great Hall for breakfast. They almost ran down Weasley and another Gryffindor boy.  
  
"Ponce," Weasley called after them. Draco just sneered and kept heading to the Slytherin table. Harry sat at his end and filled his plate. While eating heartily he paid close attention to his master's new enemies.   
  
"Say, Hermione, did you catch the names of the Gryffindors last night?" he'd already figured out that she was a sharp one.  
  
"Hmm? Oh yes. Which ones are you interested in?"  
  
"Who's the boy with Weasley," he said as he pointed out Weasley's friend. The boy had blond hair and looked wiry. He thought he remembered him as having blue eyes.  
  
Hermione carefully looked over at the Gryffindor table. "That's Logan Smith. I haven't heard much about him but I have a feeling his temper matches Weasley's.   
  
"Thanks. I want to keep an eye on them."  
  
"Good idea," Dean piped in. "They tried to give Master Blaise a hard time on the way to breakfast this morning."  
  
After they finished eating they joined the other slaves waiting at the doors for Professor Lupin to collect them for class. Harry had never seen so many collars before. They were all very similar in design. They were each a dark colour with their owner's gold or silver crest attached. It appeared that all of them were made from the same magical metal as his. As he observed the other slaves, he reached up and brushed his fingers along his own collar. It had become a comfort to him, knowing that it meant he belonged to someone.  
  
Harry thought he might like this professor quite a lot. The man spoke softly but clearly and smiled most of the time. There was an aura of inner strength about him that comforted Harry. He decided this was a man you wanted to please, not cross. Somehow he sensed that this man could be extremely dangerous if he wished. The professor led the slaves down a flight of stairs and a couple of long passages. They ended up in a rather large classroom not too far from the Slytherin dorms.   
  
The older students took their seats and Professor Lupin directed the new First Years to a grouping of desks at the front of the class.  
  
"We will begin with roll call and introductions. When I call your name, you will tell us the name and house of your master," Professor Lupin announced as he opened a scroll. He proceeded down the list alphabetically. All in all there were 40 slaves. The only one that surprised Harry was a girl named Alicia, who's master was named Katie Bell. He wondered if that was the daughter of Mr. Bell, his trainer.   
  
"Now then," the professor said as he finished. "You will notice that each year group sits together in a cluster with the youngest of you in the front and the oldest in the back. I teach all levels in this one class and expect you all to be on your best behaviour. You should endeavour to remember that it is a privilege to be educated at Hogwarts. Your masters certainly don't have to send you here. You will receive the best education that we can give you. You will learn Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology and Potions. You will be tested periodically for aptitude in other areas such as Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. If you show skill in any of those areas your masters will be notified and we will determine if you should be taught those skills."  
  
Harry watched with rapt attention as the professor walked about the room handing out papers. He was excited. This was it. He was starting classes at Hogwarts.  
  
"Your classes will be focused on how to use your skills in the service of your masters. In Charms and Defense, you will learn how to duel alone and in conjunction with another. Periodically you will join your masters in Dueling class. This is so that you can learn to protect them and get them out of dangerous situations. Each of your masters is a potential target. They are either the children of wealthy old families or Ministry officials, in some cases, both."  
  
This upset Harry. He had never considered that Master Draco could be a target. He didn't know what he would do if anything ever happened to his master. He vowed to do whatever he had to do to protect Draco.  
  
"In class, you are not allowed to use your wands unless I instruct you to do so. Outside of class you are not allowed to use them at all unless instructed by your master or unless your master is in danger. Do I make myself clear on that?"  
  
Forty heads nodded.  
  
"Good. Your masters will receive a quarterly progress report on each of you. If I see that any of you need help in any area, I will either help you myself or assign an older student to tutor you." He returned to the front of the class and looked out over the students. "This is a large class. I need you to pay attention to what you are doing and not disrupt things. I must teach every level so some of your time will be on your own with your year group. Please write down any questions you have on your lessons as you think of them and when I get to your group we will go over them. If you are stuck and can not proceed until your question is answered, please raise your hand and I will have an older student assist you."  
  
"Please note that I am basically your Head of House. Any problems that you need to bring to the attention of the staff, you will bring to me first."  
  
"Throughout the day, Madam Pomfrey will be taking small groups of you out for your check up. She and I should be notified of all health issues you may have."   
  
That was bad news. Harry hated being poked and prodded by medi-wizards.  
  
Professor Lupin paused and with a mischievous look in his eye announced, "We will also occasionally have flying classes with Madam Hooch. In a couple of weeks there will be Quidditch tryouts for the slave teams. You must have your master's permission to try out. If enough of you are interested and talented I would like to have two teams this year."  
  
This caused excited murmuring throughout the class. Harry grinned over at Dean, who grinned right back. It looked like Justin, the only Gryffindor First Year slave and Lisa, who belonged to a Ravenclaw, were interested too.  
  
"Lastly, you are not to bring any silver into this class. I know that some of your collars have silver on them and you can not remove them. However, nothing else should be brought into class. If your masters did not tell you, I am a werewolf and therefore highly allergic to silver. Anyone caught purposely disobeying this rule will serve detention with the Deputy Headmaster. You will not enjoy it."  
  
Lisa raised her hand.  
  
Professor Lupin smiled at her and asked, "Yes, Lisa?"  
  
"Um, will you be teaching us on the full moon?"  
  
"Unless moonrise happens before class is over, yes. The day after a full moon, Thibault, Professor Snape's slave, will teach the class. You will treat him with the utmost respect. And no, you are not in any danger. I am privileged to be working with Professor Snape, who developed the Wolfsbane potion. It allows me to retain my humanity during my transformations."  
  
Over the excited murmuring, he instructed, "Now if you will all get out you Charms books, we will begin class. Open up to the first chapters. Years two through seven please begin reading after you pass your Summer work to the front of the class. First years, I will be with you as soon as I collect the assignments."  
  
At lunch time, Harry and Draco had eaten quickly and met outside the Great Hall. They excitedly told each other about their morning classes and Harry asked Draco's permission to try out for the Quidditch team. Draco thought it was a brilliant idea.  
  
"You can out fly any of them, I bet," Draco had said proudly.  
  
When he told Master Draco about Professor Lupin being a werewolf, he was rewarded with an astounded "Woah. That is really cool. Will you get to watch him transform?"  
  
Harry had mostly enjoyed the rest of the day. The only bad thing that had happened was when the First Years had needed help with their Transfiguration work. The Fifth Year that had come over to help them, Bradley, had been an arse. Harry didn't like him at all. He wasn't bad to Harry but Sally Ann had trouble understanding a particular section and Bradley had been quite snotty about it. Harry had a feeling that Bradley wasn't going to be the only slave he wouldn't like. Some of them looked pretty obnoxious.  
  
After classes Harry, Hermione and Dean went to dinner together. He had just met Draco outside the doors again so they could walk back to Slytherin together when they heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Look at that. With the way Malfoy can't seem to do anything without his slave you'd think they were going out," called Weasley.  
  
"Hey Malfoy, who gets to be the girl?" Smith added.  
  
Before Harry or Draco could do anything two boys had the Gryffindors slammed up against the wall. It was Justin and his master.  
  
"You might want to watch what you say about slaves, Weasley," hissed the Gryffindor. "Just because there aren't many of us in Gryffindor who own them, doesn't mean we will roll over and let you insult us."  
  
Weasley gulped up at the larger boy and nodded. Smith was trying to nod also but found it hard with Justin's forearm across his neck.  
  
"Let the slime go, Justin. I'd hate to have you catch something."  
  
The boys backed up and the two Gryffindors took off down the hall.  
  
"You didn't have to do that. We can take care of ourselves," Draco said angrily.  
  
"I know you can but I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I have to room with those prats and have been looking for a way to warn them off," he answered with a shrug. "I'm sure you'll get plenty of opportunity to kick their arses."  
  
"All right then." Draco stuck out his hand, "I'm Draco Malfoy. This is Harry."  
  
The boy smiled crookedly, "I'm Theodore Nott. This is Justin." The two masters shook hands and the boys nodded at each other. "Justin tells me that he and Harry are both going to try out for their Quidditch team."  
  
"Yeah, I expect Harry to fly the others into the ground."  
  
"I expect the same from Justin. He's a heck of a beater."  
  
The boys talked a bit more while Harry and Justin grinned at each other, then went their separate ways. Harry and Draco chatted with the other Slytherins while studying in the common room. After a few hours they went to their room and got ready for bed.  
  
While getting things ready for the next day Harry asked, "Master Draco?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Did you notice that Mistress Millicent and Hermione didn't study with the rest of us?"  
  
"Hmm, you're right. They only stayed for a few minutes then went up to Millie's room. I wonder what's up with that?"  
  
To be continued. 


	13. Quidditch and the mystery

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse. Thank you MeLi for being such a wonderful beta.  
  
Warning: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Harry was nervous. He had hardly ate anything at breakfast. There was really no explanation for feeling this way. He had a good broom and was an excellent flyer. He knew he had a good shot at making the team. So why was his stomach doing flip-flops? He glanced around nervously. Dean, Justin and Lisa were the only other First Years trying out. They appeared to be pretty nervous, too.   
  
Up in the stands, Masters Draco, Blaise and Theodore were sitting together and talking excitedly. Harry smiled to himself. Not all the masters had come to watch the tryouts, but his had. Draco glanced over and, seeing him, gave a thumbs up and a grin. Harry felt his stomach relax a bit. He could do this. He would do just fine.  
  
Over the past couple of weeks, the boys had spent part of every evening talking about tryouts. They had discussed strategy to death. Apparently, there was a fierce betting pool throughout the school on who would make the slave teams. Draco had kept quiet about Harry's skill and hoped to make a killing today. Being a First Year, Harry was considered a long shot.   
  
Draco had made the Slytherin team as a reserve Seeker the week before. Harry had watched those tryouts and was surprised to learn that he and Dean had better brooms than some of the regular students - another bonus to being a slave. Unfortunately, it looked like the other slaves had brooms just as nice as his. He figured they had probably also spent as many summers flying as he had so the competition was going to be tough.  
  
Professor Lupin and Madam Hooch finally arrived with a large wooden chest and the tryout roster. As they called out names, team hopefuls took to the sky. Harry stood with his friends and tried not to fidget. It got even harder when he realized that there must have been over one hundred students in the stands. Betting must be fiercer than he had realized. He wished each of his friends luck as their turns came. Lisa and Dean were both pretty good Chasers, it seemed. Justin was awesome. Theodore hadn't been exaggerating when he said the boy would make a great Beater. Harry thought he would make one of the teams.  
  
Finally it was time for the Seekers to compete. Everyone but two Beaters landed. Madam Hooch told Harry and three other slaves to take off and released the Snitch. It was simple. They had to avoid the Bludgers and get the Snitch before the other Seekers. They would have several chances.  
  
Harry kicked off and immediately felt his tension leave. Here, he was in his element. He began slowly cruising around the Pitch, keeping his eyes open for Bludgers and flashes of gold. It didn't take long before a sparkle caught his eye and he was racing towards it, dodging a well aimed Bludger. He managed to snatch it out of the air just before the girl who had been less than 10 metres from it to begin with. He made three more catches and many more dodges before they pulled him out of the air to give the others a chance.   
  
He looked up at the stands to see Draco cheering. He grinned at his master. Then he noticed ginger hair off to the side and realized that Weasley - or Weasel - as Master Draco had started calling him, and Smith were watching the tryouts. Both were scowling at him.   
  
He walked over to where Professor Lupin was standing watching the remaining flyers. "Professor?"  
  
Lupin turned to him and smiled. "Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Sir, could I ask you a... sort of personal question?"  
  
"You may, though I might not answer you."  
  
Harry looked in the man's amber eyes and saw nothing to scare him off so he went ahead and asked about what had been bothering him since that first night. "Sir, sometimes you and Professor Snape look at me funny. The night of the Sorting Ceremony you pointed me out to him and he got angry. Did I do something wrong?"  
  
"What? Oh heavens, no, Harry," Professor Lupin reached out and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's just that you look a little like a school friend of mine. Professor Snape hated him with a passion. That first night, I was teasing him that James had come back to haunt him."  
  
"Oh. Is he going to be angry with me for looking like him?"  
  
"Not at all. He teases me back about it now. Besides, you're nothing like James was. You just look a lot like him. If he and his entire family hadn't died a long time ago, I would think you could be one of his children."  
  
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear they died."  
  
Professor Lupin's face darkened a bit, "Don't be. It was probably for the best, all things considered." Then he smiled and patted Harry on the back. "You'd better get to lunch. That incredible display of flying has made you hungry, I'm sure."  
  
Harry smiled with relief and thanked the professor. At least he hadn't made an enemy of the Deputy Head right off the bat.  
  
**********  
  
At lunch the tryout results were posted. Sure enough, Harry had made Seeker for one of the teams. Justin had made Beater, Lisa and Dean had both made Reserve Chaser. Harry grinned at Draco. His master was looking extremely smug. Harry followed Draco's line of vision and saw Weasel and Smith glaring back.  
  
When the two boys got up to leave the Gryffindor table, Draco got up to follow. Harry, of course, followed his master. They caught the Gryffindors just outside the doors to the Great Hall.  
  
"Cough it up, Weasel," drawled Draco.   
  
"Bugger off, Malfoy," replied the red head.  
  
"Now, now, Weasel. You lost fair and square. Pay your debts like a man."  
  
Weasley, glared at Draco for a moment then reached into his pocket. "I don't know how you did it, but I know you cheated."  
  
"I did no such thing," Draco answered, pocketing the money. "Your turn, Smith."  
  
Smith grumbled quietly but pulled out his money and deposited it in Draco's outstretched hand.  
  
Shoving the last of it into his pocket, Draco turned to leave the two Gryffindors. Then he paused and turned back to them. "You know, it's really sad when a pureblood is jealous of a slave. Of course, in this case, the pureblood has every reason to be jealous."  
  
As the Weasel's face grew red, Harry and Draco started down the passageway to the dungeons. Harry walked a bit behind his master for a few moments, then caught up with him.  
  
"Did you mean that, Master Draco?"  
  
Draco slowed down and looked at him sideways. "Yeah, I did. He may be a pureblood, but you are better than him in every other way."  
  
Harry thought about this for a moment and felt a huge grin on his face. "Thank you, Master Draco."  
  
Draco grinned cheekily back at him, "Of course, it's only because I taught you everything you know."  
  
Harry almost tripped and looked at his master in shock. Seeing the look on his master's face, he lurched forward with his hands in position to tickle the daylights out of the brat. "Why you..." he said. Draco squealed and took off down the passage. They ran laughing all the way to the Slytherin entrance.  
  
***********  
  
That evening, Draco told the rest of Slytherin a rousing rendition of Harry's tryout. The other students hung on his every word. His master was quite a good storyteller. Everyone seemed especially pleased that Draco had won a substantial bet with the Gryffindors. The two Houses were terrible rivals.  
  
About an hour and a half after everyone had gathered in the Common Room, Harry noticed Miss Millicent and Hermione quietly leaving. He caught Draco's attention and nodded at the departing girls. The two boys waited about ten minutes, then followed them.   
  
Harry and Draco crept cautiously up to Millicent's door. They listened intently but could not interpret the soft sounds they heard. Draco frowned and glanced at Harry, then reached out to grasp the door knob. It wasn't locked and turned quietly. He looked at Harry again with a grin and shoved the door to the girl's room open. The two boys tumbled in and came quickly to a halt, staring at the girls on Millicent's bed.  
  
Hermione squealed and Millicent yelled. Harry shoved the door shut behind him. Having the rest of Slytherin show up due to the noise would be disastrous at this point.   
  
Draco, looking shocked, asked, "What are you doing, Millie?"  
  
"None of your business," she said, with tears brimming in her eyes.  
  
Harry looked at Hermione where she was sitting terrified, clutching an open book to her chest... a 'student's' book, not a 'slave's'. He looked over at his master and saw Draco get himself under control.  
  
"Millie, are you teaching Hermione 'student's' lessons?"  
  
"Please, Draco, you can't tell anyone."  
  
"But, why?" Draco asked.  
  
"I, I need her to help me. My parents bought her because she's so smart. Draco, if you tell anyone they'll send her away and I'll never be able to learn to be a witch."  
  
Harry was watching his master closely. He finally saw it, that look that said Harry was about to put his butt on the line again for one of Draco's stupid ideas.  
  
"All right, Millie. I won't tell, but you have to let Harry and I join you."   
  
Harry groaned. It figured. Master Draco wasn't about to let someone else do something like have a better educated slave than him. That meant that Harry would now have even more homework. Merlin, that sucked.  
  
To be continued. 


	14. Going Home

Sorry about the delay. RL really interfered. Suddenly work has been busy (Don't tell the boss I write fanfic during business hours, okay?), I had to read OotP, get ready for Nimbus 2003 and, of course, attend Nimbus 2003. It rocked btw. Can't wait till Nimbus 2005.   
  
Chapter 14 is written and at beta. Things pick up in that chapter.   
  
PAIRING: Harry/Draco  
  
DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
ARCHIVE: Please ask.  
  
SUMMERY: For Draco's 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.   
  
THIS CHAPTER: Recap of the first year, summer hols, the beginnings of girl trouble..  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian and MeLi, as always. I couldn't write without you.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace. This story WILL become SLASH very soon.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Harry was carefully packing Master Draco's things in preparation for leaving. It had been a very interesting year. There had been secret study sessions, Quidditch matches, midnight duels, Duelling Club and so many revelations. He smiled to himself and thought how lucky he was.  
  
The extra studying had probably been the hardest part. They had to keep it secret that he and Hermione were learning things the other slaves weren't. Slipping away hadn't really been the problem, hiding the extra knowledge had been. The sessions had, of course, helped Miss Millicent keep up with her classes. It had been a struggle for her. It wasn't that she didn't have much power - she just wasn't all that intelligent. She had a great deal of common sense and was one of the sweetest girls Harry had ever met, but when it came to books... she was hopeless. Draco, on the other hand, found himself fighting with two Ravenclaws for the top spot in First Year after beginning the study sessions.   
  
The problem had been with Harry and Hermione. They now knew things that none of the slaves were supposed to know. They sometimes found it almost impossible not to let slip something they had learned while helping to teach Millicent. It wasn't too bad for Harry since he had learned early on not to outdo Master Draco if he didn't want to deal with a royal snit. Hermione, on the other hand, had never had to learn that lesson. There were times in class when he could feel her practically vibrating in place next to him with the desire to answer a question. Sometimes, he thought maybe Professor Lupin suspected something.  
  
Potions had been interesting. Twice a week, half the class was herded down the corridor to Professor Snape's classroom to be taught by Thibault for an hour and a half. Of course, Professor Snape was always in his office next door in case there was a problem. Thibault had turned out to be even stricter than Professor Lupin. Hermione said it was because an accident in a potions lab could be deadly. Harry had enjoyed the lessons anyway, especially when the Potions Master would come in and give a special session or work on one of his own researches during class. The man was an eloquent genius.   
  
Quidditch had been brilliant. The slave teams got to play four games during the season. They weren't allowed to play the House teams but that was all right. They did get to scrimmage with the House reserve teams on occasion. He had watched all the House games and, frankly, the only team that would have given either of the slave teams any competition was Slytherin. The other teams just didn't seem to have the same quality brooms or experience. Plus Justin had become his best mate - next to Draco, of course - and they had enjoyed rubbing the other slaves' noses in the fact that they had made the actual teams instead of the Reserves, as First Years..  
  
Duelling instruction had been a lot more boring than he had expected. First Years weren't allowed to do much. The curses they learned were pretty silly and, though they would work just fine against students, they would not do much against an adult who was threatening their masters. They were working on shielding spells, but none of the First Years had very strong ones yet. He couldn't wait to learn the stuff the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Year slaves were learning. Now those were some powerful spells!  
  
The lessons did come in handy a couple of times, though. The Weasel had challenged Master Draco to a duel one night. Draco had, of course, taken Harry with him as his second. The Weasel had taken his best friend, Logan Smith. Draco didn't trust the two Gryffindors at all and had instructed Harry to take Smith out as soon as the duel started. It was cheating but Draco's reasoning had been, 'do unto others before they do unto you' an it had worked. Harry hit Logan with a Jelly-legs curse and The Weasel had squawked indignantly. Draco had used the distraction to disarm Ron. The two winners had laughed as they sprinted down the corridors back to their common room.  
  
Harry finished packing and watched as the House Elves took his and Master Draco's belongings to be placed on the train. He was sad to leave Hogwarts for the summer but he was glad to be going home. He missed Mrs. Carter and the rest of the staff. He wondered if could sneak down tonight and steal some biscuits.  
  
******************  
  
"Harry, you and Dean save us a compartment, yeah?" Draco told him.  
  
"Yes, Master Draco," he replied.   
  
He and Dean sprinted from the carriage to the Hogwarts Express. They pushed their way through the growing crowd and quickly found a compartment. Dean pushed the window down and waved to Blaise to let him know where they were, then sat down. Shortly, their masters tumbled through the compartment door and collapsed into the seats. As they caught their breath, Master Theodore and Justin stuck their heads in.   
  
"May we join you?" Theodore asked.  
  
"Hey, Theodore," Blaise greeted and indicated that they could come in.   
  
The boys had just begun talking about what they were planning to do during the Holidays when Mistress Pansy came in and plopped down right next to Draco. Harry growled deep in his throat. He really hated that stuck up girl. Sally Ann stood in the doorway uncertainly.  
  
"Oh, Draco, I can't wait for you to come visit. I've talked to Mother and she said it would be fine. You can come by every week."  
  
"Why would I want to do something like that? Get off me!" he said as he shoved at her clinging hands.  
  
"We can have a great time. You can come shopping with me and Mother and we can introduce you to all our friends and family."  
  
"Pansy... Oh, just get out. This compartment is already full and you make it downright crowded."  
  
Pansy looked like she was going to argue when Miss Millicent called to her from the doorway. "Come on, Pansy. Hermione has a compartment for us just down the aisle. Lavender and the Patil twins are there. You should hear what they are doing for the Holidays."  
  
Harry and Draco looked up at Millicent with relief. She smiled and winked at them, then took Pansy by the arm and practically dragged her from the compartment. Harry looked back at Draco and saw the other boy shiver.  
  
"I hate when she hangs all over me. What is it with girls?"  
  
The rest of the trip was quite pleasant with the boys talking about Holidays, Quidditch and gossip from school. Draco lounged against Harry's shoulder most of the time. They ate sweets from the trolley and were a bit surprised when the journey came to an end. They said their 'Good byes' and quickly found Master Malfoy and Mr. Arieta. The ride home was taken up with Draco telling his father all of their adventures, minus the extra studying, from school.  
  
Before they reached the Manor, however, Draco got quiet.  
  
"What's the matter, Son?" Master Malfoy asked.  
  
"Pansy said I'm supposed to visit her this summer."  
  
"Yes. Your mother and I thought it would be a good idea for the two of you to start spending a little time together."  
  
"But she's awful, Father. She grabs me and hangs on to me and tries to kiss me. It's gross."  
  
Master Malfoy laughed and Mr. Arieta looked like he was having trouble keeping quiet. "I understand, Son. I'll speak to her mother and see if she can't curb Pansy's behaviour a bit."  
  
"Can Harry come with me?"  
  
"I suppose so," Master Malfoy said as he glanced over at Mr. Arieta. "Do you think Miss Parkinson is likely to keep that girl she has now? We could consider her as a match for Harry, I suppose."  
  
Harry's eyes got wide and he gulped. He looked quickly over at Draco, who smirked evilly back at him. He didn't want a fiancée. Look at all the trouble Draco had with Pansy. Sally Ann was nice enough but she didn't know anything about Quidditch and was beginning to get as girly as those Patil twins. Lisa would be better. At least she was on the reserve team. Why couldn't he just stay with Draco? They understood a bit more about marriage now and neither of them thought it was a good idea.  
  
As soon as they entered the Manor, Harry was swept up in a warm, cushiony hug. He wrapped his arms around Mrs. Carter's neck and hugged her back.  
  
"Oh, my goodness, Harry. You've grown so big!" she exclaimed. She let go of Harry and turned to Master Draco. "Oh, you too, Master Draco." She gave the young master a slightly less exuberant hug. She pushed the two of them next to each other, "Now let me get a good look at the two of you." She shook her head. "You two are going to be right little heartbreakers in a couple of years."  
  
The boys just grinned, soaking up the compliments and affection.  
  
"Draco!" came Mistress Narcissa's voice from down the hall. "I'm so glad you're home. The Manor has been quiet as a tomb with you two off at school." With a genuine smile Narcissa leaned down a bit and hugged her son.  
  
"I missed you, too, Mother," replied Draco.  
  
When she stood back up she turned to Harry and squeezed his shoulder. "It looks like you had a good year. Both your reports were quite favourable. Professor Snape had very good things to say about you. I'm so proud of you, Draco. Top of the year in two classes, in the top three for all the rest and Reserve Seeker for the Slytherin team. That is just wonderful."  
  
"Thank you, Mother," Draco beamed at the praise.  
  
"Professor Lupin is very impressed with you as well, Harry. He said you show great promise in your classes and a true desire to serve Draco."  
  
"Thank you, Ma'am," Harry said shyly.  
  
The boys spent the next few hours telling their new audience, consisting of Narcissa, Mrs. Carter and occasionally other members of the staff, about their year, minus the extra study, of course.  
  
That evening he had to put up with Draco's rousing rendition of "Harry and Sally, sitting in a tree..." until he finally went to his own room and slammed the door.  
  
*************  
  
The two boys ended up having to go to Pansy's house four times that summer. After Draco shoved her off the walk into a flower bed for clinging to him the visits weren't too bad. Harry always tried to keep Draco and Pansy in between Sally Ann and himself. The boys suspected that Pansy's mother had a long talk with the girls about seemly behaviour.   
  
They got to attend one professional Quidditch match between the Holyhead Harpies and Ballycastle Bats. The boys thought Barny the Fruitbat was about the stupidest mascot they had ever seen. They were quite disgusted that grown wizards would be seen in public wearing huge bat ears on their heads. Master Lucius referred to the men in hats as fanatics and rolled his eyes at them.  
  
All in all, the summer was a lot of fun, but they couldn't wait to get on the Hogwarts Express.  
  
To be continued 


	15. Discovering things

APPOLOGIES! THIS STORY SHOULD HAVE HAD A PG-13 RATING FROM THE BEGINNING. IT IS PG-13!!!! IF YOU ARE READING THIS TO YOUR KIDS, STOP! Apparently I clicked on the wrong rating when I orriginally uploaded and never bothered to check. I sincerly appologize. This chapter is definately PG-13.  
  
DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian and MeLi, as always. I couldn't write without you.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace. Frank discussion of a very 'personal' activity.  
  
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and encouraged me. Whoever nominated me for HPSA, I don't know if I should thank you or have you committed for insanity. ;-) I hope you like this chapter. The boys are getting a bit older and 'discovering' things, such as girls (Ew) and themselves. I promise this WILL be slash, but, boys will be boys and it takes a while to grow up.  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Draco had a new tactic this year for getting through the crowds at King's Cross Station. He had Crabbe and Goyle shove everyone out of the way while he, Harry, Blaise and Dean followed closely behind them. It worked beautifully. They found a compartment easily and enjoyed a mostly Pansy-free ride.  
  
At one point, Lisa and her Ravenclaw mistress, Su Li, stopped by. Lisa took one look at Harry and blushed furiously. When the girls left, Dean elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"Ooh, Harry, got a girlfriend this year?"  
  
"Huh? What do you mean, Dean?"  
  
Justin piped up at this point, "Didn't you see the way she was looking at you? She's just dying for a smooch."  
  
"You guys are barmy," Harry shot back. How embarrassing.   
  
"I heard someone say that Sally Ann wants to be your girlfriend, too," commented Dean.  
  
"Geez, Harry, leave some girls for us, why don't you."  
  
"Shut up, you prat," Harry retorted and turned bright red.  
  
He looked up at Draco and saw the strangest look on his master's face. Now wasn't the time to ask, though.  
  
Dean looked amused. "Like you have anything to worry about, Justin. Hermione was awfully interested in whether or not you were on the train when I ran into her out in the corridor."  
  
"Really?" Justin asked. "Um, I need to go to the loo," he said and quickly got up.  
  
"She's in the fourth compartment towards the back," Dean yelled after him, giggling.  
  
*********  
  
That evening the feast was noisy as everyone caught up with their friends after the summer. Harry sat between Dean and Hermione. He noticed that the girl kept glancing up at the Gryffindor table and shook his head. Girls; he just didn't understand them.  
  
Draco was grumpy that night as Harry got their room set up the way his master liked it. Harry just let him, figuring that he would eventually talk about what was wrong.   
  
**********  
  
The next few weeks were a bit of Hell for Harry. It became apparent that Lisa and Sally Ann were interested in him. They kept trying to sit next to him in class. Hermione had moved and was now sitting next to Justin. Harry wrinkled his nose in distaste every time he thought about it. The two of them kept making those faces and stupid noises at each other. He had no intention of making a fool out of himself like Justin.   
  
Meanwhile, he had to use all his cleverness to dodge the two girls who seemed intent on cornering him. He now understood how Draco felt about Pansy being clingy. Speaking of Draco, the boy was like a lit fuse these days. One minute they would be together like usual then suddenly Draco would get snippy and turn away from him. It usually happened when Lisa or Sally Ann were either present or mentioned, but Harry had no idea why.  
  
***********  
  
It was Thursday evening and Harry was exhausted after Quidditch practice. He stumbled out of the changing room and found himself face to face with Lisa.  
  
"Hi, Harry."   
  
Harry wondered why she was blinking at him so much. "Um, Hi, Lisa."  
  
There was a very awkward silence for a few minutes while Harry tried unsuccessfully to back away from the girl. There was a wall in the way. Finally, he asked her, "What's up, Lisa? Do you need something?"  
  
"Oh, yes, Harry," she said as she leaned right up against him. Harry began to panic. What was she doing? How was he going to get away? What was wrong with her voice? It wasn't usually that growley. He was just about to give her an excuse that would hopefully let him slip away when she pressed her lips to his. He just stood there, back against the wall, trying to pull his head away and blinking his eyes rapidly.   
  
Then she tried to stick her tongue in his mouth! Harry shoved her backwards rather hard and glared at her for a minute while wiping his mouth off. "What do you think you're doing?" he practically screamed. "That's... gross!"  
  
Lisa looked up at him and burst into tears before running away. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about how to get away from her.  
  
Back in the Slytherin Common Room he threw himself down in a chair next to Draco, who was studying with Blaise.  
  
Seeing the scowl on Harry's face, Dean asked him what was wrong.  
  
"Lisa," he grumbled.  
  
Dean looked at him funny. "What's wrong with Lisa?"  
  
Harry didn't notice the sudden interest Draco was paying their conversation. "She kissed me outside the Quidditch changing rooms. At least I think that's what she was trying to do."  
  
Dean grinned, "You kissed a girl!"  
  
"I did not! She kissed me and I shoved her down. Then she started crying and ran away," he admitted sheepishly.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione cried out from nearby. "That's no way to treat a girl."  
  
"She tried to stick her tongue in my mouth. What was I supposed to do, let her?"  
  
Blaise laughed at him, "Well, yeah, Harry. That's called French kissing and it's really advanced."  
  
Harry looked at everyone laughing at him. Disgruntled, he got up and went to his room. He didn't see the grin of relief on Draco's face.  
  
Later that night, as Harry was on the verge of sleep, he heard a moan from Draco's bed. He was instantly awake, worried that his master might be having a nightmare. Then he heard the soft rustling sound of movement and heavy breathing. Another moan, this one louder, prompted him to dart over to Draco's bed.  
  
"Master, wake u..." his voice trailed off as he realized that Draco was wide awake and his hand was down his pyjama bottoms. "Erm, uh," he struggled to find something to say. Draco glared at him. "I guess you aren't having a nightmare, are you?"  
  
Draco just glared at him some more. Harry looked around the room as if he expected to find a professor hiding in the corner.   
  
"Are you... wanking?" he asked with awe. He had been there when one of the Fourth Years had told Draco and a few others all about it but he'd been too afraid to try it himself.  
  
"I was," Draco drawled. "I think it's a bust now, though."  
  
"Oh, sorry." Harry knew he was red by now. He turned and got back into bed. He laid there for a few minutes, trying to think of anything other than just having caught his master in a really 'personal' moment.   
  
"Master Draco?"  
  
"What?" Draco snapped.  
  
"Did it feel good? Before I screwed things up, I mean."  
  
He heard Draco sigh and shift in bed. "Yeah, it felt really good."  
  
"Is, was that the first time you've done it?"  
  
There was a pause. "No. Marcus kind of showed me how to do it in the shower the other day."  
  
"Really?"   
  
"Yeah, he said all the older boys do it." There was another pause. "He said it's easier if someone shows you how."  
  
Harry found himself feeling rather hot suddenly. "Really?" he squeaked.  
  
"Well, I don't know if it's true or not. I mean, I think I probably could have figured it out on my own, but..." Neither of them said anything for awhile.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"Yes, Master Draco?"  
  
"Um, if you need anyone to show you... um, well, I'd, you know, I'd do it. Just for you, mind you. I don't want you going to one of the other slaves or anything."  
  
"Thanks, Master Draco. Um, do we need to be in the shower?" Harry asked.  
  
"You just caught me in bed doing it, Harry. What do you think?"  
  
"Well, isn't it messy?"  
  
"Not really. I mean, not for me, anyway, just a few drops of stuff. Marcus said that's because I'm only 12."  
  
"The others, out in the Common Room, talked like it was huge mess."  
  
"I imagine it will when we get older. You should have seen what happened to Marcus. He kind of jerked and shot this wad of white stuff all over the wall. It was amazing, kind of gross. He taught me a cleaning charm to use later."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Harry was pretty sure he could figure out how to do it on his own. Frankly, he was really embarrassed by the thought of watching another boy do something like that. He decided that the next time he was alone in a shower stall he was going to give it try. He'd have to ask Draco about the cleaning charm, though.   
  
It took him ages to fall asleep that night.  
  
To be continued. 


	16. Tragedy

DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian and MeLi, as always. I couldn't write without you.  
  
**This was a hard chapter to write. I was really blocked on the speech at the assembly. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and encouraged me. I hope I have answered some of your questions here.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace. Reference to extreme violence and disturbing discussion thereof.  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
Harry had managed to find quite a few opportunities to use the knowledge Draco had given him that night after Lisa kissed him. It was like a whole new world had opened up for him. More and more often he found that the boys' conversations were about girls and sex - at least what they thought they knew about sex. Quidditch was still by far the hottest topic, thank Merlin.   
  
Justin and Hermione had broken up four times. Dean had tried to go out with one of the Ravenclaw slaves but had given up after sitting there twiddling his thumbs for half an hour wondering what to talk about. Draco still glared at Pansy, who had taken to mooning at him from across the Common Room.  
  
The news that Harry had knocked Lisa down when she kissed him was the talk of the lower years for several days. It died down after causing Harry immense embarrassment. The only good to come out of it was that Sally Ann seemed to decide it would be better to pursue one of the third year slaves instead of Harry. He didn't seem to have to worry about dating yet.  
  
All in all, their second year was shaping up to be pretty good. The Weasel and his sidekick seemed a little less inclined to bother them and classes were more interesting than the year before. Their private studies were harder. They were no longer quite at the bottom of the pecking order; they now had an entire year worth of students to push around. Life was good.  
  
All that changed at about 2am one morning just after Christmas. Harry and Draco were pulled from sleep by the sound of their Head of House yelling at the top of his lungs for everyone to get to the Common Room immediately. The boys stumbled out in their pyjamas with the rest of their house.  
  
"Where is Montague?" the Deputy Headmaster demanded. Harry stepped closer to Draco. He'd never seen Professor Snape in a fury before. The man was normally intimidating and impressive but, at the moment, he was terrifying. He was standing preternaturally still with his arms crossed, staring around the room. His black eyes looked cold and burning at the same time. It was like being in the presence of a deadly predator and Harry felt absolutely no guilt in being glad that he was not the man's prey. Behind the Deputy stood Thibault, Headmistress McGonagall and her slave Helen like elite troops ready to back their leader up. Harry wondered why Snape seemed to be in charge instead of McGonagall. He almost jumped out of his skin when Draco grasped his arm and held tight.  
  
"Well?" the Headmistress asked. "Answer your Head of House."  
  
Everyone looked around confused. Professor Snape signalled to Thibault, who quickly stalked off in the direction of the Sixth Year's private rooms. Snape just stood there, motionless except for his eyes. Harry felt like there should be a wind whipping around the man for some reason. If the man would just move, maybe he wouldn't seem so threatening. He moved still closer to Draco, trying to give and receive comfort at the same time. He looked around the Common Room to see others doing the same. Everyone seemed terrified and confused.  
  
Raised voices were heard coming out of the hallway Thibault had gone down earlier. Everyone turned to look as the Potions Master's slave literally drug Montague out into the Common Room and threw him at Snape's feet. Harry was stunned. Thibault, though stern in class, was an unassuming, quiet man. Harry looked up in time to see Snape's nostrils flare and his eyes flash. Montague glared up at Snape.  
  
"He's mine to do with as I please," the student spat out.  
  
Snape actually bared his teeth as he uncrossed his arms and raised his wand. Professor McGonagall stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.  
  
"Severus, as much as I personally support the idea of punishing this filth, I can't let you do this."  
  
Snape froze in place and seemed to be battling an inner demon. "You are right," he said, lowering his arm. "We will let the authorities deal with him properly. He may well wish that we had punished him instead."  
  
On the floor, Montague went pale and began to shake. With a flick of her wand, the Headmistress cast Petrificus Totalus and then Mobilicorpus on the student. When his ankle smacked into a table corner on the way to the entrance, she didn't even apologize.  
  
"There will be an assembly in the Great Hall for all owners and their slaves this morning in place of your first class," Snape announced on his way out of the Common Room.  
  
There was utter silence throughout Slytherin for several minutes until the Prefects finally ushered everyone back to their rooms. Harry was sure that no one was going back to sleep. He wasn't surprised when Master Blaise and Dean knocked on their door. They got dressed and spent the remaining hours until breakfast speculating in hushed voices about just what had happened.  
  
Breakfast was a very tense affair. It seemed the slaves and their owners ate quickly, wanting to get to the assembly as soon as possible, while the non-owners ate slowly, wanting to stick around and find out what was happening. The Headmistress and Deputy came in part way through the meal, followed by an odd woman with bright blue hair from the Ministry. Finally, the professors ordered everyone who didn't belong there out of the Hall.   
  
When the regular students had left, Harry got up and went to sit next to Draco. Professor Snape stood up to address the owners and their slaves.  
  
"Last evening we had a very tragic incident occur. One of the students - one from my own House - almost killed his slave."  
  
Gasps were heard through out the Hall.  
  
"The slave was found and taken to the infirmary by Professor Lupin. Upon examination it became apparent that he has been suffering physical and sexual abuse for several years now. When his owner was confronted, he claimed it was his right to do with his slave as he sees fit. This morning, Officer Tonks, from the Office of Muggleborn Welfare, is here to disabuse the rest of you of that notion." With that, he stepped back and motioned to the woman with blue hair to take over.  
  
Officer Tonks looked out over the crowd for a moment, then began, "Perhaps some of you did not realize that there is an Office of Muggleborn Welfare or do not understand its purpose. Let me explain. Almost 100 years ago the Wizarding World realized that it would be devastating to wipe out Muggleborn wizards and witches. We need the new blood and power to keep from dying out. However, these same wizards and witches are dangerous if left in the Muggle world. Muggle families do not understand the desperate need for secrecy from the general populace. Therefore it was determined that the Ministry would use the Book of Registry to locate Muggleborn wizards and witches, take them from their families and place them in the Wizarding World as slaves. These children have no Wizarding family blood so they are brought into our world as slaves. Their children are then granted partial rights due to their parents being wizards and the sponsorship of the family those parents serve."   
  
"In the '40s, a witch - a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself - was accosted by a Muggle man. This was a great aberration and no one quite knew what status to give the child. On one hand he was part Muggle but on the other he carried the bloodline of one of the greatest wizards the world has seen. That child was alternately persecuted and adulated, but eventually grew up to be The Great Lord. Because of his childhood, he created The Office of Muggleborn Welfare and is a great proponent for the ethical treatment of slaves." There were exclamations of amazement at this information.  
  
"Owning a slave is a privilege. That privilege can be taken away from you if you abuse your position as owner. The Office of Muggleborn Welfare has a huge tome of regulations governing the care and punishment of slaves. I will not attempt to cover everything in this assembly. However," she paused and smiled. "If you are convicted of slave abuse, I guarantee that part of your punishment will be to read the entire sixteen centimetre thick volume."  
  
People looked around at each other wondering if this woman was trying to be funny. Harry, seeing the look on her face, decided she was not.   
  
Officer Tonks went on to explain to the students and slaves what punishments were permissible for what offences, what sexual activity was permissible between master and slave, and who the slaves could go to for assistance. The whole thing was boring and disturbing at the same time.  
  
*********  
  
Several of the Slytherin slaves were sitting together going over what had occurred this morning. One of the 5th year slaves had snuck into the Infirmary and seen Todd, Montague's slave. He came out pale as a ghost and extremely upset. He said Todd looked broken. He looked like he had been in battle with a Hippogriff, not a human being. Harry felt sick. He knew he didn't fully comprehend what had happened but what he did understand scared him.   
  
He kept reaching up and touching his collar, trying to reassure himself. The Malfoys loved him, didn't they? Master Draco said they were best friends. His master would never do anything like that, right? He knew from what some of the other slaves had talked about before that not all families treated their slaves as well as the Malfoys. Tonight he had found out that some of the other slaves and owners had known that Montague didn't treat Todd right, but none of them had told anyone. Officer Tonks had said that any slave reporting abuse to her office would be protected, but he wondered if he would have the nerve to go there if anything ever happened.  
  
Dean plopped down next to him. "Say, Harry. You weren't found until you were seven, right?"  
  
"Yeah, a couple months after my birthday."  
  
"You grew up with your aunt and uncle, right? Did you ever know your parents?"  
  
"No. Aunt Petunia didn't like to talk about my mum. She said mum was nothing more than a whore and that I didn't have a father and that I was a bastard."  
  
"That's too bad. I wish I'd known my parents."  
  
"I'm kind of glad I never knew my mum. It was bad enough growing up with the Dursleys hating me. I can't imagine what it would have been like growing up with no father and a mum that hated me."  
  
"So you had a last name back then, yeah? You were Harry Dursley?"  
  
"Nah, it was Evans. That was Aunt Petunia's last name before she got married. Ew, I could have had the same last name as Dudley," Harry said and made a face.  
  
That evening, Harry lay in bed cuddling Puff, which he hadn't done in a long time. He just lay there looking at the ceiling, not able to fall asleep. What had happened to the world over night? He heard rustling from Draco's bed and then the sound of bare feet on stone.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"Yes, Master Draco?"  
  
Harry felt the bed dip as Draco climbed up beside him. "You're not all right, are you?"  
  
"I just can't sleep, Master Draco," he responded. He looked over at his master, who seemed nervous and was picking at the bed sheets.  
  
"Are you afraid?"  
  
"A little bit, I guess."  
  
"Harry, I won't ever do something like that. I mean... sometimes we get mad at each other, I know, but when we fight, it's really a fight. You hit me as hard as I hit you."  
  
Harry thought about this for a minute. Master Draco was right. They did fight, but it was truly fighting, not like what Montague did to Todd. Yes, he would get punished, but so would Draco. Still, it was hard to get over what had happened.  
  
"I know, Master Draco. It's just... scary."  
  
Draco reached out and rubbed Harry's arm. "I'm sorry," he said as he looked up at Harry. "You're my best friend, Harry. Really."  
  
Harry flicked Puff's fang a little bit before looking up at Draco. "Thanks."  
  
He felt Draco get off the bed and pad back over to his own. He was just settling back into his pillows when he felt his master crawl under the covers with him. He looked over and grinned to himself when he saw that Draco had Crunch in a tight grip. He scooted over a bit to make room for the other boy.   
  
The next morning the sun shone in on two boys cuddled around a couple of rather worse for wear stuffed dragons. Their fingers were loosely intertwined and their hair made a web of darkness and light on the pillow they shared. Both boys softly smiled in their sleep.  
  
To be continued 


	17. Summer

CATAGORIES: Gen, Romance  
  
DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment, but will be SLASH later.  
  
*Thank you MeLi and Dementor Delta for beta-ing.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace. This is now becoming SLASHY. If you are opposed to homosexuality, please read something else.  
  
*********  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
The boys were happy to be home. They sprinted across the driveway and into the entryway. Mistress Narcissa greeted them and Draco chattered happily at her about their year. After a few minutes Harry frowned.   
  
"Where's Mrs. Carter?" he asked, almost to himself. His surrogate mum should have been there to ruffle his hair and squeeze him half to death. No matter how much he complained when she did such things in public, he loved the treatment.  
  
Master Malfoy had apparently heard his soft question. "She'll be along in a minute, I'm sure." There was a strange look in Master Malfoy's eyes that Harry didn't understand.  
  
The boys took their luggage up to Master Draco's suite and began settling in. After the episode with Montague and Todd, things had changed a bit between Harry and his master. They weren't tense with each other; they just seemed more aware of how they interacted. Draco had got a letter from his parents explaining in no uncertain terms what they would do to him if he ever treated any slave, much less his own, in the way Montague had. The Malfoys hadn't said anything to Harry but Draco had told him about the letter. It made Harry feel better to know that all the Malfoys disapproved of slave abuse. Still, now that he knew it happened, the thought was always in the back of his mind.  
  
After they finished putting their things away, Draco said he was going to talk with his parents and told Harry to go see Mrs. Carter. Harry rushed down to the kitchens first to grab some biscuits. He was always hungry these days. When he burst through the door he was happy to see Mrs. Carter sitting at the table chatting with Susie. He ran over to her with a big grin on his face and grabbed her in a hug.  
  
"Oh my!" Mrs. Carter laughed as she squeezed him back. "You are almost as tall as me now. What ever am I going to do if my little Harry grows up? Soon you'll be too big for my hugs."  
  
Harry blushed and snagged a biscuit off the table as he sat down. "I'll never be too big for your hugs. Just don't tell Draco."  
  
The three of them chatted at the table while Harry stuffed food in his mouth and drank Susie's tea. He noticed that Mrs. Carter had lost a lot of weight while he was away at school. He didn't think he liked that. Mrs. Carter had always been squishy and comfy. It always made him feel enveloped in love when she hugged and cuddled him. No, he didn't think he liked a skinny Mrs. Carter at all. Trying to be subtle, he pushed the plate of biscuits over and offered her one. She smiled and took it but placed it on her plate without taking a bite. He would have to try and get Susie and Jane to help him fix her.  
  
"Well, dear, I'm getting a bit tired. I think I'm going to lie down for a bit. You be nice to Susie and don't eat too many more biscuits. Tell Master Draco I'm glad to hear he had a good year." With that, she patted Harry on the head and got up to leave. Harry paused in munching on his snack to watch as Mrs. Carter made her way slowly towards her quarters.  
  
**************  
  
Once again, Harry and Draco had to visit Pansy's house a couple of times. Pansy and Sally Ann even came to the Manor twice. Both times, the boys had found opportunities to slip away from the girls and leave them lost in the maze of halls or out on the grounds. The boys were quite proud of their accomplishment but the adults didn't seem to be. They had both been grounded from flying for one week for each incident. It upset them but they decided it had been worth it to get away from the silly girls. They figured they would have got into more trouble if they had stayed with them. Harry was sure they would have ended up saying something nasty or shoving one of the girls into a pond.  
  
One evening, towards mid-Summer, Master Malfoy came home from the Ministry extremely excited. He and Professor Snape had finally perfected the potion and incantations to restore the Great Lord's body. The Great Lord would be checking into his private suite at St. Mungo's this coming weekend for it to be done. They weren't sure how weak he would be afterward and wanted to make sure the best medical staff was on hand just in case. Everyone was very excited.  
  
The following week there was an air of festivity throughout the Manor. It had been a success and Lord Voldemort was happy, healthy and back in his own body. When the boys went to Diagon Alley they found that the rest of the Wizarding World was also celebrating. Wormtail was to be given the Order of Merlin, First Class, for his services. Master Malfoy found it disgusting that the toad would be rewarded for doing nothing more than acting as a vessel. He didn't voice this opinion outside the Manor, however, since he and Professor Snape were also being given Orders of Merlin, First Class. Draco preened for days. Harry came close to throttling him twice.  
  
Harry didn't get to go to the ceremony. He was terribly disappointed, as he would have loved to see the Great Lord in person. He wondered if the Great Lord knew that they had brother wands. Thinking about it, he decided the Great Lord probably wouldn't care that a measly little teenaged slave had a similar wand core. It still made Harry feel good, though.  
  
When the Malfoys got back from the ceremony, Harry practically danced around them in his excitement. His eyes bugged out at the sight of the medal hanging from a black ribbon around Master Malfoy's neck. They all looked so impressive in their official dress robes - Master Malfoy especially. Harry felt his stomach flip-flop about and his heart pound at the sight. He helped Master Draco remove his cloak and listened avidly while the blond told him every detail of the day. Draco had actually got to shake hands with the Great Lord. Harry touched Draco's hand with awe. Draco quickly pulled it away and held it close to his chest.  
  
Harry couldn't keep his eyes off Master Malfoy's medal. A couple of times, while Mr. Arieta was helping the elder Malfoys remove their cloaks and gloves, he had to restrain himself from reaching out to touch it. Master Malfoy noticed and beckoned him over. He bent over slightly and held the medal out for Harry to inspect. Harry hesitantly reached out to touch it. Master Malfoy smiled and nodded so Harry ran his finger over the face of the medallion. It was cold and enameled in several colors. When Master Malfoy began explaining what each symbol stood for, Harry inexplicably found that he had no idea what the man was saying and kept staring at his lips. His stomach was doing flip-flops again and he had no idea why. He quickly stepped back. No one seemed to notice.  
  
The boys went up to their room and talked more about the day.  
  
"You wouldn't believe how good Lord Voldemort looks," Draco said excitedly. "He's got dark brown hair, almost black like yours, brown eyes; he's tall and... he just looks real good," Draco finished and stared dreamily off into space for a minute. Harry suddenly felt angry and flung himself down into a chair. He wasn't sure why. Today had been full of too many unexplained feelings. Draco looked over at him.  
  
"What's wrong, Harry?"  
  
"Nothing. I don't know. I guess I'm just mad that I didn't get to go to the ceremony too."  
  
Draco came over and squeezed into the chair next to him. They were quiet for a few minutes before Draco sighed and said, "Yeah, I wish you had been there too."  
  
The last weeks of the summer were spent in lazy companionship. Draco often talked about the Great Lord and how impressive he was. He told Harry how he wanted to be a Death Eater and member of the Ministry when he grew up. He said he would take Harry to work with him so Harry could see Lord Voldemort too. Harry found himself thinking he didn't want to meet the Great Lord and didn't think he liked the idea of Draco seeing him again, either. To top it off, he found himself getting nervous whenever Master Malfoy was around. He stuttered and became so clumsy that Master Malfoy had angrily told Draco that if Harry dropped one more dish he was going to be banned from the family dining room. The threat worked and Harry was able to force himself to concentrate on his duties instead of how well Master Malfoy's robes matched his eyes or how aristocratic the man looked when he sat at the head of the table and sipped his wine.  
  
Master Draco harassed him endlessly about his clumsiness. Harry didn't dare tell him it had something to do with his father. He thought about asking Mrs. Carter what was wrong with him but he didn't want to bother her. She seemed to be worried about something. When he had talked to Susie and Jane about giving her more sweets so she would gain weight, they had looked at him funny and changed the subject. She took a lot of naps, too. He was really worried about her.  
  
When September 1st came along, Harry and Draco were anxious to get back to school but reluctant to leave the Manor. It had been a rather good summer and they weren't quite ready for it to end. Once they were on the Hogwarts Express, they forgot all about home as they eagerly caught up with their friends and made plans to harass their enemies.  
  
To be continued. 


	18. The Visit

DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*It's pre-slash at the moment.  
  
*Thank you Lillian and MeLi, as always. I couldn't write without you.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace.   
  
****Please read the End Note about Harry's scar before you review.****  
  
Chapter Seventeen  
  
Harry followed Master Draco up the stairs and into the Great Hall. He took his seat at the slaves' end of the table and waited for the Sorting Ceremony to begin. He noticed a strange man seated next to the Headmistress and wondered for a moment if they had a new professor and looked closer. Taking in the man's handsome features, stately dress and arrogant demeanor, Harry thought that he didn't quite fit the profile of a Hogwarts professor. Harry scratched his scar and turned to look at Draco down the table, wondering if his master had a better idea of who the strange man was. One look at Master Draco's rapturous face and everything clicked. This had to be the Great Lord.  
  
Harry began to fume. Master Draco was talking excitedly with his friends. Harry thought he was making a fool of himself. If Master Malfoy were here, he would surely be berating Draco about now. Harry never even noticed the new First Year students being sorted. He kept trying to catch his master's eye to get him to behave in a more seemly manner. He never noticed that most of the other students were now also looking at the Great Lord in states of awe. He ignored Dean when the slave tried to get his attention.  
  
He came out of his stupor when the Headmistress stood up to address the students.   
  
"Welcome, everyone. This year we are honoured to have the Great Lord Voldemort attend our Sorting Feast. As most of you know, the Great Lord was recently restored to his own physical form thanks to the relentless efforts of his loyal staff. Our own Deputy Headmaster, Professor Snape, as well as the parents of some of our students, played an integral part in this miracle. Therefore, the Great Lord thought it only fitting that one of his first appearances be here, at Hogwarts." With that, Professor McGonagall indicated for Lord Voldemort to speak, and sat down to listen.  
  
The Great Lord stood regally and slowly raked his gaze over the audience of students and slaves. Harry irritably scratched his scar again. Lord Voldemort finally spoke and his clear tenor voice carried throughout the Hall.  
  
"Students, and slaves," he said. "I'm very pleased to be here this evening to witness another Sorting and see what fine young wizards and witches I can expect to see make their mark in the Wizarding World in a few short years. I also attended Hogwarts many years ago. Some of my fondest memories are of these halls. I made many friends within these walls."   
  
"This is also where I determined that I would rise on my own merits and eventually hold the highest position the Wizarding World could offer. I worked hard and, with my friends, I formed the plan that carried me on the path to become Minister of Magic. I could not have done this without the wonderful professors here. They guided me and taught me and supported my efforts to learn more."  
  
"Don't think that your time here is wasted. This is the beginning of the best part of your lives. Take advantage of the experts you have here at your disposal and learn everything you can. Enjoy your time with your friends just as I did. I hope that some of you will eventually work for me. Those of you who don't, I hope, will become worthwhile members of Wizarding society and will help to continually better our world. Thank you."   
  
When the Great Lord sat down, Headmistress McGonagall stood and made her usual beginning of term announcements. Then the food arrived and everyone's attention was focused on eating. Harry had to admit to himself that Lord Voldemort was very charismatic. It still didn't excuse Master Draco acting like a First Year.  
  
Later that night, as they entered their room, Draco immediately started in about the Great Lord.  
  
"Did you see what I meant, Harry? Isn't he just awesome?"  
  
"Yes, Master Draco."  
  
Draco then launched into what looked to be a long speech about the wonders of the Great Lord. Harry interrupted him, "Master Draco!" The blond stopped and looked at Harry, stunned.  
  
"You were acting like a bloody prat at the feast." Draco bristled but Harry didn't stop. "I can't believe you going on and on and getting all excited like some First Year girl. You act like you're in love with him. It was embarrassing. Your father..." Harry got no further as Draco's hand came in contact with the side of Harry's face. That was all it took and the two of them were soon down on the floor trying to pummel each other into the stonework. Neither had any idea what they were screaming but it was apparently loud because soon there was a crowd of Slytherins in the hall and the doorway urging them on. Neither did they notice slamming into furniture and knocking things down. The room was quickly trashed and both boys were bloody.  
  
Harry was now slightly larger than his master and, if he got him pinned, would come out the winner. Draco, on the other hand, was quick and lithe and quite hard to hold onto. They knew the way each other fought so they were well matched. It was quite a bit later that they found themselves yanked apart by a very angry Head of House and his slave.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape bellowed. Harry winced. This was not home. This wasn't Master Malfoy, who understood that boys would fight. He would be lucky if he didn't get a real beating for this. As Professor Lupin raced in, Harry dropped his gaze to the floor and hoped for the best.  
  
Draco looked up at his Head of House. "We were fighting, Sir."  
  
Professor Lupin ushered the other students and slaves out of the room and shut the door, casting a silencing charm along that side of the room.  
  
Professor Snape took a deep breath and asked quietly, "Would you care to explain why a slave would think it acceptable to strike his master?"  
  
Draco paled and glanced quickly at Harry. "He doesn't, Sir, but I struck him first."  
  
"Does your father allow this?"  
  
"No, um, yes, kind of, Sir."  
  
Professor Snape just looked at him enquiringly.  
  
"He insists that Harry and I keep our tempers under control. He... he says if I am fool enough to begin a fight with Harry, he won't stop Harry from fighting back. Afterwards we both get punished."  
  
"What type of punishment does your father usually administer?"  
  
Draco gulped. "It depends, Sir. Sometimes he switches us since we've got too big to just spank. Sometimes he grounds us."  
  
"I see." Professor Snape looked over at Professor Lupin.  
  
The slave instructor asked, "What was this particular fight about?"  
  
"Harry accused me of behaving like a First Year girl with a crush at the feast."  
  
"Very well, I have to agree that you were acting a bit excited, which is not the type of behaviour either I or your father expect of you. However, I will not tolerate a slave physically fighting with his master." Snape turned and glared at Harry. The professor held out his hand. "Give me your wand."  
  
Harry cringed. Hesitantly he went over to his bed and fetched his wand. He was fighting back tears as he held it out to the Deputy Headmaster. He was sure that it was going to be snapped and he would be sent back to the Manor in disgrace. Mrs. Carter, not to mention the Malfoys, would be so disappointed.  
  
Professor Snape took the wand and shoved it into a pocket somewhere. "Mr. Malfoy, you will serve detention with me tomorrow after your last class. Harry, you will now accompany Professor Lupin, who will administer four strikes with the paddle. Tomorrow you are forbidden to attend classes. Instead, you will remain here and repair your room, without the aid of magic. Your master will return your wand after his detention."  
  
Harry swallowed hard. "Yes, Sir." He followed Professor Lupin. He felt all eyes on them as they walked through the Slytherin Common Room. He tried to tell himself that he should be grateful that his punishment was so light. Honestly, he was tremendously relieved that he wasn't being expelled. He could take a paddling. It wasn't the first time Professor Lupin had had to discipline him but he'd only had two strikes at the most before. It was probably a good thing he wouldn't be going to class tomorrow as he was sure he wouldn't be able to sit down.   
  
Professor Lupin said nothing to him until they reached his office. Then he simply sternly told Harry to bend over and grasp the desk. After the blows were swung, Professor Lupin looked at him for a moment as if judging the effect on Harry's psyche and sent him back to his dorm room. Harry hurried, keeping his head down so no one could see the tears threatening to spill over. He went straight to his room, grabbed his pyjamas and headed for the shower.   
  
He let the cool water pour over his stinging arse and let the tears fall. More than anything he was ashamed, not just because he'd got a paddling but because he'd caused Master Draco to lose his temper and slap him and then fought like a hooligan. He'd been accusing Master Draco of embarrassing behaviour and look what he had done. He realized that he had got so angry because he was jealous. It always seemed to happen. He knew it wasn't right but every time Master Draco started paying more than average attention to someone, he couldn't help but want to get his master's attention back on him. They were best friends. Draco was supposed to like him best.  
  
Back in bed, Harry tried to find a comfortable position. He heard the door open as Draco come in. He heard his master get his things and head for his own shower. He was dozing later when he felt the bed shift. A gentle hand brushed the hair off his forehead and Harry sighed.  
  
"Hey," Draco said softly.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah. It stings pretty bad but it's okay. I was so scared that they were going to break my wand and send me home." Harry shuddered at the thought. "I'm sorry, Master Draco."  
  
"I'm sorry, too, Harry."  
  
"I was... jealous."  
  
"Huh? Why were you jealous?"  
  
"I don't know. It seemed like all you could talk about was the Great Lord this and the Great Lord that, like you have a crush on him or something. He's really cool and all, handsome and powerful, but it was like you had forgotten about me."  
  
"Oh," Draco responded softly. "Kind of like the way you get when Father is around?" he added with a chuckle.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Come on, Harry. All summer you kept tripping over your feet and dropping things every time Father came in the room. Even Mother noticed."  
  
Harry buried his head in his pillow. "Oh, Merlin," he moaned.  
  
Draco laughed at him and rubbed his back. "Don't worry. We won't tell anyone. Father thought it was amusing."  
  
Harry groaned even louder. This was possibly the most humiliating day of his life. And here he had thought Draco was being embarrassing.  
  
"I'm just so glad they didn't expel you. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here."  
  
"Thanks, Master Draco," Harry said as he rolled over a bit. Draco's hand on his shoulder was comforting and his words even more so. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Draco patted Harry's shoulder once more and moved to his bed.  
  
"Good night, Harry."  
  
"Good night, Master Draco."  
  
To be continued.  
  
End Note:  
  
After reading through the feast scene in SS, the graveyard scene in GoF, and the Ministry scene in OotP I came to the conclusion that proximity has nothing to do with Voldemort causing pain in Harry's scar. I discussed it with several people on my live journal and we all agree. It is Voldemort's emotions that cause Harry's scar to become painful. I do think that the closer he is at the time he is feeling strong negative emotion, the stronger the pain is. Nothing like that occurred in the opening scene of this chapter, therefore Harry felt no pain. Voldemort is unaware of his link to Harry and visa versa in this AU.  
  
Also, I use British spelling so behavior is spelt behaviour, honor is honour etc. 


	19. Duelling

I've started a yahoo update group. It's http://www.groups.yahoo.com/ruhgozler  
  
DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse, MeLi and Dementor Delta for being betas. I couldn't write without you.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
*********  
  
Chapter Eighteen  
  
By Christmas time, Harry and his master were the undisputed Lords of the Hex as far as the rest of Third Year was concerned. Even some Fourth Years felt that way. For two years now they had been practicing hard in their duelling classes and both had come a long way individually. This year something seemed to have clicked between them and they now routinely wiped the floor with their opponents in their combined classes.   
  
They had developed an awareness of each other that allowed them to support each other in a duel instead of inhibit. Their magical strengths were different, just as their physical ones were different, but complimentary in a fight. Harry had more power and less finesse, skills that lent well to him using shields and devastating blows. Draco was quicker and deadly accurate, which led to him handling most of the attacks. Draco was also a better overall strategist while Harry seemed to have extraordinary luck. There were other individuals who were more powerful or better strategists but together they were about as good as 13 year olds could get. It was really too bad that the Weasel didn't have a slave and wasn't in the class.  
  
Harry was quite proud of his skill at duelling. It was one of the few times he didn't have to hide his extra knowledge. No one thought it odd for him to know more hexes than some of the other slaves. They just assumed that the Malfoys, Draco in particular, were teaching him in order to keep Draco safer. That was fine by Harry. He had every intention of keeping his master as safe as possible.  
  
It didn't take too long for word of their skill to get around the school. Apparently, the Weasel just couldn't stand it. One evening after dinner, as they left the Great Hall, the boys were startled when Draco was shoved up against a wall and Harry found himself facing the tip of a wand.  
  
"Tonight, 11 o'clock, in the Trophy Room, Malfoy," growled Weasley as he squeezed Draco's collar. Harry barely twitched in his master's direction before Smith, Weasley's best friend, shoved his wand hard up under Harry's chin.   
  
"Nah, ah, ah," Smith said with a wicked grin.  
  
"Fine, Weasel. Who's your second this time?"  
  
"No seconds. Me and Logan against you and your boy."  
  
Harry and Draco exchanged a glance and relaxed a bit. "All right then. You're on."  
  
Weasley let go of Draco and Smith backed off. Harry sneered at him and watched closely as the two boys left.  
  
Harry and Draco were anxious that evening. The clock seemed to have been hit with Impedimenta, it moved so slowly. All of Slytherin was now aware of the upcoming duel and the prefects had arranged to be out in the corridors to make sure no one got near the Trophy Room.  
  
When it was almost time to leave, the boys were subjected to many well wishes. There hadn't been much time for betting to take place but, apparently, a few of the upper years had been able to contact the older Weasley twins and there were a few Galleons riding on tonight's duel. Harry and Draco weren't the least bit concerned.  
  
Victoria, one of the Seventh Year prefects, escorted them to the Trophy Room shortly before 11 o'clock. Weasley and Smith hadn't arrived yet. She wished them luck and blended in with the shadows to watch for professors or Filch. Harry and Draco used the time to get into the proper mindset. They were going to trounce Weasley and Smith.  
  
The two Gryffindors arrived seven minutes late.  
  
"You're late, Weasel," Draco snarled.  
  
"We had to avoid Snape, twice," Ron answered.  
  
Harry smiled to himself. Their Head of House knew what was going on tonight and had probably run into the two Gryffindors on purpose to throw them off balance. Slytherin was not known for its cunning for nothing. The other houses didn't seem to realize just how well Salazar's students discreetly worked together.  
  
"Whatever, Weasel. Are you ready or are you going to back out?"  
  
Weasley and Smith glared at them and got into duelling position. Harry and Draco remained standing nonchalantly, slightly back to back, with their wands held carelessly.  
  
"Are you ready, Malfoy? We can start anytime now."  
  
Draco and Harry inclined their heads to the other boys, who bowed. As they were standing up, Harry caught the flicker of wand movement from Smith and knew the boy was casting a body bind. Harry began erecting a shield as Draco cast a quick stinging hex at Smith to disrupt his concentration. Weasley cast a Jelly Legs but Harry's Shield Charm was already in place. Draco followed up with nice Horn Tongue hex at Smith and the boy was effectively out of the duel. Weasley tried Rictusempra but both Harry and Draco dodged it. Harry hit Weasley with a strong Stupefy while Draco hit him with Expelliarmus. Harry used the same hex on Smith and both Slytherins bowed to their defeated opponents.   
  
They laughed on their way out the door. Victoria and Johan, another Slytherin prefect, stepped out of the shadows grinning.  
  
"I see you have won," commented Johan.  
  
Draco held up the two wands they had captured and grinned. "They were easy. They don't know how to work together and their level of hexes is far below ours."  
  
"Just leave the wands out here..."  
  
"I'll take those, Mr. Malfoy," came a low, sinister voice from behind them.  
  
Harry gulped and saw Draco go pale. "Yes, sir," the blond said as he handed over the Gryffindor wands to his Head of House.  
  
"It was kind of you to pick them up. I'll make sure they get back to their rightful owners," Professor Snape said with a smirk. "I'm glad to see the younger year students helping the Prefects with their patrols occasionally. Good idea. Ten points to Slytherin."  
  
All four students grinned. "Thank you, sir."  
  
"I think it's time for you to get back to your dorm rooms. Have a good night."  
  
"You too, sir," the Prefects answered and they all headed back to Slytherin. Before they had rounded the first corner, they could hear Professor Snape bellowing at the two Gryffindors left in the Trophy Room. It had been a very good night.  
  
They got back to the Common Room, followed by the other four prefects who had been out 'patrolling'. There were only a few people up but they had a short impromptu celebration for the victory. There was much shaking of hands and Pansy took the opportunity to plant a kiss on Draco's lips. Harry almost laughed himself silly at the way Draco's eyes got huge and the boy almost fell over backwards trying to get away from her. He made the strangest squeaking noise before finally shoving her back.   
  
Later, Harry couldn't resist teasing his master.  
  
"What a lady's man you are, Master Draco," he snickered.  
  
"Oh, get bent, you prat," Draco grumbled. "I have one word for you, Harry - Lisa."  
  
Harry glared at Draco for a minute. "Well, at least you didn't knock Pansy on her bum. I bet they still harass you about Pansy for days."   
  
Draco smirked, then frowned. "I'm just pissed that my first kiss was wasted on Pansy. Damn it! I wanted it to be something special."  
  
"Yeah, I can sympathize."  
  
They looked at each for a moment, then smiled and shook their heads.  
  
"So who did you want to be your first kiss - the Great Lord?" Harry asked.  
  
"Nah, he would never want to kiss a boy. I wish it could have been Professor Snape but that's pretty impossible too. I'm not sure if he's with Thibault, Professor Lupin or Madam Hooch. I just can't tell." Draco looked pensive for a bit. "Who did you want to be yours?"  
  
"At the time I didn't want it to be anybody. I wasn't even really thinking about kissing. This summer I wanted it to be your father. I can't say I'd be upset if it was Professor Snape, though," he finished.  
  
Draco looked up at him startled. With a haughty, indignant look, he accused, "You mean someone has replaced my father in your affections? I will have to be sure to tell him."  
  
"Don't you dare! Er, please, Master? It's embarrassing enough that the whole Manor knows I had a crush on him. I don't need you to add to it."  
  
Draco laughed. "So you think Snape is hot, too?"  
  
"Well, yeah. He's got that whole 'tall, dark and mysterious' thing going on plus that 'I'm so powerful I don't need to even acknowledge your presence' attitude."  
  
"Boy does he," Draco replied. "Have you seen the way his robes swirl around him? He doesn't walk. He stalks or glides. It's just incredible."  
  
"I know. It's like he's part vampire or something, all dangerous and sexy."  
  
Draco laughed. "I thought I was the only one who would refer to Snape as sexy."  
  
Harry snorted. "Hardly. You should hear Hermione go on about him." In a horrible falsetto voice, he continued, "Oh, he's so gorgeous. His eyes are like onyx. His hair is like raven's wings. His hands are so graceful. His voice is so sexy. Oh, Professor Snape..."  
  
Both boys collapsed on their beds, laughing too hard to sit up. They kept trying to talk, but all that came out were breathless squeaks.  
  
Finally Draco caught his breath and noted, "She does have a point about his hands. Wouldn't you love to have him touch you?"  
  
That sobered Harry up. "Sometimes I wish I was one of his potions, you know? The way he concentrates on them and is just completely focused..."  
  
With a deep sigh, Draco agreed. "Do you ever think of him when, you know..."  
  
"Sometimes," Harry confessed, "I can hear his voice right next to my ear like the other night when he caught us outside the trophy room. Most of the time it's not really anybody, though. What about you?"  
  
"Hmm, pretty much the same. It's always a guy, though. What about you? Do you ever think of girls?"  
  
"No, just boys."  
  
They sat there silently for a while longer.  
  
"Master Draco?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"If you only like boys, will you still have to marry Miss Pansy?"  
  
"I suppose so. Mother has been pretty clear that I'm supposed to grow up and get married and have children."  
  
"How are you going to do that if you don't like girls?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess I'll find out. I wonder if you'll have to get married."  
  
Harry looked over at him confused.  
  
"You know Father has been talking about you marrying Sally Ann." Harry nodded. "Well, slaves don't usually have to get married. Since the Malfoys are so influential, though, Father wants you to be respectable."  
  
"Oh joy," Harry grumbled. "Think he'll change his mind if we tell him I think I'm gay?"  
  
Draco looked over at Harry. "You 'have' met my father, right? Do you think he would change his plans just because we don't agree?"  
  
"Oh. Right."  
  
The two boys chatted a while longer and slowly drifted off to sleep. Both of them dreamt of a tall, dark man swooping out of the shadows behind them and speaking to them in a menacing but arousing voice. The next morning the house elves would have to change the sheets.  
  
To be continued. 


	20. Frightening Developments

DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
Chapter Nineteen  
  
Third year had been pretty darn great as far as Harry was concerned. He and Draco had repeatedly put Weasley and his friend Smith in their places. Extra studies were going well. Miss Millicent was doing fairly well in classes and her parents had backed off slightly. She seemed to bloom when they sent her notes of approval. As her confidence built, her grades improved. Hermione was quite devoted to study and pushed, not only her mistress, but also Harry and even Draco to get better grades. It had been quite humorous the first time she had scolded Master Draco for skiving off. Master Draco had looked at her like she had turned into a veela or something. He'd opened his mouth to remind her of her place when she clapped her hand over her mouth and apologized profusely to him. She explained that she was expected to do whatever it took to keep Miss Millicent studying hard and had forgotten whom she was talking to for a moment. Draco looked at her and laughed, exclaiming that it was the first time he'd been mistaken for a girl. The tension had eased and all was forgiven.   
  
Hermione had given up on Justin that year and dated a couple of older slaves once or twice. What Miss Millicent thought about her slave having a more active social life than she did herself, Harry didn't know. He did know that Justin was fit to be tied. Rumour had it that Hermione had actually let one of the boys French kiss her in the stairwell. Hermione ignored all the talk and Justin pouted for weeks. Harry found it all quite amusing. At least the girls were leaving him and Master Draco alone. Of course, part of that was because Miss Pansy was a right harpy to any girl who so much as looked at Draco. At least the bint hadn't figured out that boys were more of a threat than any girl.  
  
Harry didn't know if his master had tried kissing any of the boys but he thought it wasn't likely. After the night they compared notes on Professor Snape, the two of them had got quite comfortable talking about other guys and sex. Harry was sure that a couple of times when he'd been wanking in the shower, Master Draco had been doing the same thing on the other side of the wall. He was surprised to find just how much faster things went when he thought about that.  
  
The summer, however, was not shaping up too well. The train ride to King's Cross Station had been fine. The welcome home had not. Mrs. Carter once again didn't meet him. She was really sick. He'd spent a bit of time every day visiting her in her rooms. It was depressing and scary. There were potions and equipment he didn't recognize all over and the room smelled funny. Medi-witches and wizards were there far more often than he was comfortable with. Mistress Malfoy had sat him down and explained what was going on but Harry still didn't quite understand. Mrs. Carter had Barnett-Wednesday's disease. It was very difficult to cure as it affected the base makeup of a witch or wizard and fed off the victim's own magic while adapting to the methods used to combat it.   
  
One night late in July, Harry and his master were up in their rooms working on summer work for school when Harry became aware of the sounds of many people moving about in the mansion. He got his master's attention and they headed down the hall and to the balcony. They stood there, shocked by what they saw. The front door was open and medi-staff were rushing in and out. Shortly, a small group came out of the back levitating a stretcher with several monitoring globes floating above it. On the stretcher was Mrs. Carter. Master and Mistress Malfoy were following. Master Malfoy was deep in conference with a Healer and Mistress Malfoy had a hand on his arm and tears in her eyes.  
  
Harry looked over at his master to confirm that he really was seeing this. Draco looked back at him, horrified. Harry rushed past his master to the stairway and raced down it. Before he could get close to the group Mr. Arieta grabbed him and wrapped one strong arm around his waist and, as he began to scream, placed a hand over his mouth. He struggled but it was no use. Mr. Arieta was speaking softly in his ear to not get in the way, not distract the medi-staff, not cause more harm. Harry barely heard him and gripped the man's arm tightly while tears poured down his face. As the stretcher was taken outside to the emergency portkey, Harry began to choke on his sobs. He turned and saw that Draco had followed him down the stairs and was standing next to him.  
  
Mr. Arieta turned him around and held him tight. Harry gripped the man's robes and tried to focus on what was being murmured to him. "Shh, shh. It will be okay. She's had a turn for the worse and Master Malfoy immediately called St. Mungo's. They'll be able to help her. Don't you worry. It will be all right." Slowly Harry calmed down. He realized that Draco had his arms around him and Master Malfoy even had a hand on his shoulder while speaking to Mr. Arieta. When he pulled back from the man holding him, they all looked at him.  
  
Master Malfoy kept his hand on Harry's shoulder as he spoke. "Harry, she'll be all right. I have the best staff working with her. Narcissa is already at the hospital and I need to hurry there. Are you going to be all right?"  
  
Harry couldn't speak but nodded his head.  
  
The hand on his shoulder squeezed firmly. "I'll contact Mr. Arieta as soon as I have news. You and Draco go up to your rooms so he will know where to find you."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Draco looked at his father worriedly and then gave Harry's arm a gentle pull. As they were going up the stairs Harry heard Master Malfoy softly say, "You aren't the only one who cares for her."  
  
At the landing Harry stopped and looked back down at the scene below him. Master Malfoy was giving last minute instructions to the staff and trying to reassure them. There was a lot of sniffling and he could see most of them trying to dry their eyes. When Master Malfoy finally strode out the front door, Harry turned and continued to his and Master Draco's rooms. Once inside he just stood there, staring at nothing.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"She's going to die, Master Draco."  
  
"No, she's not. Father said they will be able to take care of her once they get her to the hospital."  
  
"No. I know it. She's going to die."  
  
"Harry, you suck at Divination so stop it," Draco yelled.  
  
Harry looked up in shock at Draco. He took a few deep breaths. "Yeah, you're right. I need to think positive."  
  
"That's right. She'll be fine."  
  
Sighing deeply, Harry went over and sat on the couch looking at the empty fireplace. Draco put away their school things and sat down beside him. They just sat quietly for a very long time. Eventually Harry could hardly keep his eyes open. Draco was cracking his jaw with huge yawns. They both got up and got ready for bed. With no words spoken between them, Harry climbed into his master's bed and snuggled close.  
  
Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him closer. Harry rested his head on his master and slowly drifted off to sleep with the other boy stroking his hair and back. Just as he was slipping under he thought he felt the soft press of lips on the top of his head.  
  
For three days the Malfoy home was under a cloud of despair. Everyone loved Mrs. Carter and everyone was worried that they had seen her for the last time. Harry moped during the days and curled up in Draco's arms at night. He hardly ate or slept or even spoke. The master and mistress were home only briefly each day to clean up and rest a bit before heading back to the hospital.   
  
Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Master Malfoy woke the boys up with good news. Mrs. Carter would be coming home today. It had been a constant battle for the staff at St. Mungo's but they had finally beaten the disease into remission. It would be a long time before Mrs. Carter was completely out of danger but things looked promising. For the rest of the summer, Harry spent part of each day with his surrogate mum and never once complained about the equipment or smell.  
  
*****************  
  
At the end of August, the Malfoys decided to have a small dinner party. The Parkinsons, Professor Snape, and several members of the elite Death Eaters were invited. Of course the Great Lord himself would be the guest of honour. In the days approaching the dinner, Harry found himself extremely busy preparing his master's clothing and accessories. He wasn't sure who was worse, Draco or the Mistress. During the last three days Harry had gone through eighteen different outfits for his master. Eventually they decided on the one he had chosen for Draco the first time. He, himself, would wear the Malfoy staff uniform, which was rarely used. It just had to be cleaned and pressed and hung out of harm's way.  
  
The night of the dinner, Harry called all his training into play. He strove to remain unobtrusive and observant. He opened the door for his master and followed him into the dining room. Almost immediately his scar began to itch. He struggled not to scratch it. Throughout dinner he stood beside Sally Ann and served Draco, who was seated beside Miss Pansy. He observed that Draco was a perfect gentleman to the girl but a bit cold. Everyone chatted, including Lord Voldemort. Every once in awhile he just couldn't stand it and would sneak a hand up to rub quickly at his scar.  
  
As dinner came to an end, the adult men adjourned to one of Master Malfoy's studies while the ladies went out into the garden. The few children moved to another room and sat around and chatted about the schools they attended. Harry stood at the edge of the room waiting for the possibility that Master Draco would need something. He was listening to one of the girls expound about Durmstrang when Mr. Arieta knocked and entered.  
  
The servant looked around the room and when he saw Harry, beckoned to him. Harry glanced at Draco, who nodded at him, and followed Mr. Arieta out.   
  
"Master Malfoy would like to speak to you."  
  
Harry nodded and gulped. He reviewed the evening for things he had done wrong but the only thing he could think of was rubbing his scar. His thoughts came to a quick halt as Mr. Arieta opened a door to a small study and ushered Harry inside. Inside he found Master Malfoy, Professor Snape and the Great Lord himself.  
  
"Ah, Harry, come here," commanded Master Malfoy.  
  
Harry quickly approached.  
  
"During dinner I noticed that you kept rubbing that scar on your forehead. Is there something wrong with it?" Master Malfoy inquired.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Master Malfoy. It has been irritating. I tried to ignore it but it keeps itching," Harry answered fearfully.  
  
"I see."  
  
The Great Lord held out his hand. "Let me see, boy."  
  
Harry turned and approached the intimidating wizard. The itching was worse than ever. When Lord Voldemort reached out and touched the scar, Harry flinched.   
  
"Hmm, this is a very interesting scar. Where did you get it?"  
  
"I, I don't know, My Lord. I've had it since I was small."  
  
Lord Voldemort exchanged glances with Professor Snape. "Let Severus have a look at it."  
  
Harry approached his professor almost more carefully than he had the Great Lord. Snape also touched his scar. In fact he poked, rubbed and scratched it.  
  
"My Lord, it is quite possible that you are right. I suspect there is a curse imbedded in the boy's scar. It would be difficult to discover who did it or what curse it is, unfortunately."  
  
The Great Lord seemed to think for a bit, then looked at Master Malfoy, "Would you leave us with the boy for a few moments, Lucius?"  
  
"Of course, My Lord," Master Malfoy replied as he left the room. Professor Snape sat back in his chair and crossed his legs.  
  
When the man was gone, the Great Lord turned back to Harry. "What do you think of your life here, boy?"  
  
Harry looked confused. "I beg your pardon, My Lord?"  
  
"Are you happy with the Malfoys? Do they treat you well?"  
  
"Oh, yes, sir," Harry brightened up. "They are wonderful to me. I'm much happier here than I was with my aunt and uncle."  
  
"I see. Do you feel slighted that you are a slave?"  
  
Harry cocked his head to the side a bit. "No, My Lord. If I weren't a slave I would be in the Muggle world and never have learned to do magic. I wouldn't have Master Draco or go to Hogwarts." He reached up and rubbed his collar. How could he explain to the ruler of the Wizarding World that he felt like he belonged?  
  
Professor Snape seemed pleased with that answer. The Great Lord asked, "Do you have any memory of your true parents?"  
  
"No, My Lord. My aunt told me my mother ran away and became a whore. She said that I was a bastard and no one had any idea who my father was."  
  
"Does your scar bother you often?"  
  
"No, My Lord."  
  
"Very well. Would you like for Professor Snape to remove whatever curse is imbedded in it so that it won't bother you again?"  
  
"Oh, yes, My Lord. I would be quite grateful." Harry wasn't sure why they would want to do that since this was only the second time the thing had bothered him but wasn't going to say anything to upset the Great Lord.  
  
Professor Snape told him to see him on the second day of school, then dismissed him. On the way out the door he heard the professor tell his lord, "I'm not at all sure, My Lord. Whatever curse is there is obviously a powerful one and was placed many years ago. I can remove it so if it is a time-delayed spell that would threaten the Malfoy heir, it will no longer be a problem."  
  
"Good, Severus. Draco seems very attached to the boy. I would hate to have to destroy him. Let me know the outcome."  
  
Harry hurried back to the room he had left his master in. He wouldn't rest easy until the curse was removed.  
  
To be continued. 


	21. Fourth Year Begins

I thought I'd post this before heading out to join my family for a feast. Happy Thanksgiving you guys. Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate all of you?  
  
DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace. This is slash.  
  
***************  
  
Chapter Twenty  
  
The last few days before leaving for Hogwarts, Master Malfoy began teasing the boys with hints that there would be something special happening this year. Mistress Malfoy had smiled and instructed the boys not to forget to pack their third best dress robes. It had been infuriating to Harry. Even though he was reluctant to leave Mrs. Carter, he was very curious about what was going to take place at the school.  
  
On September 1st, he bid an anxious farewell to Mrs. Carter and loaded his and Master Draco's trunks into the carriage. On the ride to King's Cross, he watched with amusement as Master Draco tried, quite unsuccessfully, to convince his father to tell him what the secret was. When it became apparent that he would get nothing but more teasing, the blond sat back to pout. This just amused his father more, causing Draco to pout harder. Harry found it quite entertaining but carefully kept his face blank.  
  
By the time the boys got on the Hogwarts Express, Master Draco had abandoned his little act and was once again the good little Malfoy. Harry watched as Draco played his crowd of friends expertly. None of the others had heard of anything special happening this year but Draco made sure they found out now. Of course, he made it seem that he knew all the details but wasn't allowed to tell anyone.   
  
At the feast, Harry sat next to Dean and hoped they would find out about the special happenings soon. He was really curious and didn't think he could take it if Draco had to wait too long to find out.  
  
He was in luck. Just after the feast, Headmistress McGonagall announced that Hogwarts would be hosting this year's Triwizard Tournament, which took place every five years. Harry had no idea this was the year of the Tournament. The last one had taken place at Durmstrang, if he remembered correctly. The representatives from the other two schools would arrive in October and the choosing of the champions would take place on Halloween. Only students 17 years and older would be allowed to compete. Whispers of excitement raced around the room until the Headmistress sent them all off to bed.  
  
**************  
  
"Excuse me, Master Draco," Harry quietly interrupted.   
  
Draco turned from talking to Blaise and Theodore. "Yes, Harry?"  
  
"I need to go meet with Professor Snape."  
  
"Oh, sure. I'll see you at dinner," he said dismissively and turned back to his friends. Harry frowned, slightly annoyed. He hadn't mentioned why he needed to see the Deputy Headmaster and thought Draco should be a bit more curious. He knew that Draco treated him more like a friend than some of the other masters did their slaves. Sometimes it made him forget that he was a slave. The reminder of his position usually hurt. Trying not to think about it, he headed down the halls to Professor Snape's office. When he arrived, he politely knocked on the door and waited to be summoned inside. He was nervous.  
  
"Enter," came the professor's velvety baritone.   
  
He was surprised to find the man was not alone. Sitting in a chair pulled up near the professor's desk was Professor Lupin.  
  
"Ah, Harry," Professor Snape greeted him. "Come in. I've asked Professor Lupin to take a look at you. He has a deeper affinity for the Dark Arts than I do."   
  
Harry slowly walked up to them. Professor Lupin beckoned him over. "Don't be nervous," he said with a smile. "Have a seat and let me take a look."  
  
The professor first poked, prodded and rubbed Harry's scar with his fingers, 'hmmming' to himself quite a bit. Professor Snape watched quietly. Next Professor Lupin pulled out his wand and cast a few spells, some of which made Snape raise his eyebrows as if he was surprised at their use.  
  
"Hmm. Well, Professor Snape, you were on the right track but I'm afraid there isn't a curse imbedded in the scar tissue."  
  
"And why do you think that, Lupin?"  
  
"Because the scar is the result of a curse."  
  
"Really," Professor Snape said with interest.  
  
"Yes, yes. It seems that this young man got caught in the crossfire sometime. I'd say it happened while he was very young, perhaps as young as two or three even."  
  
Professor Snape looked at Harry. "Do you remember anything about this?"  
  
"No, sir. Not a thing."  
  
Snape sat back. Lupin continued to examine the scar while telling Snape what he was finding. "I believe it was quite a powerful curse, and most likely dark at that. There is no curse to remove. I think it's just that the scar is sensitive to certain types of magic." He looked down at Harry. "You told Professor Snape that it was itching the night of the dinner when the Great Lord was present?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Harry said with a nod.  
  
"I would imagine it was reacting to all the magic Lord Voldemort and Mister Malfoy had active that night." Lupin 'hmmed' some more and tapped his wand on his cheek. "No, I don't think there is anything to remove. It only bothers you rarely but as you get older, you will be exposed to more dark magic. It might prove inconvenient or even dangerous later. There are several things we can do to desensitize it."  
  
For several minutes the two professors discussed strategy and spell theory that Harry couldn't even begin to follow. It made him realize just how much he didn't know. The entire evening seemed to be one long humbling experience.   
  
Finally the two men seemed to come to an agreement on how to proceed and directed Harry to sit on the desk. He was fed a couple of potions, told that it wouldn't hurt, and then had numerous spells cast on him by both professors. By the time they were done his scar was aching and red and he had a splitting headache. They sent him back to his dormitory with assurances that by morning he would be fine.  
  
When Harry got back to the Slytherin dorms he headed straight to his room, not even looking for his master. He shucked off his robes and shoes and collapsed into bed with a groan. He didn't even raise his head when he heard the door open.  
  
"Harry, are you all right?"  
  
He turned his head so hopefully his voice would make it beyond the pillow and replied, "No."  
  
Quickly there was a weight on the bed and a hand on the back of his head. "What's wrong?" Draco asked in a worried voice.  
  
"Snape 'n' Lupin messed with scar. Headache. Sleep."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Harry didn't answer. It was just too much trouble. He drifted off to blessed slumber under the soft caress.   
  
The next morning, as soon as Harry awoke, Draco cornered him.   
  
"Now, just what happened to you last night?" his master demanded.  
  
Harry looked up at his master and opened his mouth to retort with something along the lines of 'why do you care?' but nothing came out. Draco did look concerned. It wasn't his master's fault that Harry hadn't told him what was going on. Harry looked down at his hands and fiddled with the blankets. Seeing his distress, Draco came over and sat down next to him.  
  
"Harry? Is there something wrong?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harry told his master everything, beginning with being called into Master Malfoy's study and ending with Professor Lupin sending him back to bed. When he looked back up, Draco seemed cross.  
  
"You really are a stupid git sometimes, you know," Draco said. Harry was startled. "There was absolutely no reason for you to worry about that all by yourself. And I would have gone with you last night if I'd known."  
  
"I, I guess I was afraid they would find something dangerous. I didn't want you to get upset."  
  
"And I would have been just fine if Snape had come in here last night and said 'Oh, by the way Mr. Malfoy, we had to destroy your slave earlier this evening. It seems he's been harbouring a curse that made him a threat to you all these years.' Are you daft?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Master Draco. I didn't think about that."  
  
Draco huffed in aggravation. "Just don't do anything so stupid again, all right?"  
  
"Yes, Master."  
  
***********  
  
On the 30th of October, Harry stood just behind Draco in front of the castle waiting for the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to arrive. Professor McGonagall had already chastised Weasley and the Gryffindor Patil girl for their appearance. There was excitement in the air.  
  
The first to arrive was the group from Beauxbatons. They arrived in a huge powdered blue carriage pulled by twelve Abraxons. The Headmistress had greeted the huge woman in charge of the group as Madam Maxime.   
  
The Durmstrang bunch arrived via an eerie looking ship, which rose up from the depths of the lake. Professor McGonagall greeted the adult as Professor Karkaroff. He and Professor Snape seemed to know each other. The shocker was that one of the students was Viktor Krum, the Seeker for Bulgaria. Harry hadn't known a student could play for a professional team. All the boys seemed to be talking about getting Krum's autograph.  
  
They all went in to dinner. Harry wasn't surprised when Draco invited the Durmstrang students to sit at the Slytherin table, then manoeuvred to sit next to Krum. Two of the group stood behind Krum and one of the girls and Harry guessed they were slaves. He wondered when they would get to eat. He also noticed that one of the girls from Beauxbatons, now sitting at the Ravenclaw table, had to be at least part veela. The best part was the look of utter envy on the Weasel's face as he watched Draco and Krum.  
  
Professors McGonagall, Snape, Karkaroff and Maxime entered the Great Hall and arranged themselves at the staff table. The Headmistress remained standing to welcome their guests and announce that the tournament would officially start at the end of the feast. When she sat down, the tables filled with food. Harry recognized almost all of it from various dinners at Malfoy Manor. He identified several dishes to Dean and Hermione, telling them that they were French. They speculated on the other dishes, guessing that most of them were Bulgarian, and seemed correct when the Durmstrang students served themselves from these dishes.  
  
During the course of the feast Harry realized that Weasley and Smith had spotted the veela girl. One look down the Gryffindor table and he saw that Justin had noticed the girl too. He nudged Hermione and whispered to her. She scowled a bit and went back to eating with only the occasional disparaging remark regarding the guests. Harry and Dean were highly amused.  
  
After the feast, the Headmistress explained the basics of the tournament and accepted an odd wooden chest from Filch. From within it, she pulled a rough looking wooden goblet. It would have been completely unremarkable except that it had dancing blue-white flames in it. This was the Goblet of Fire and would be choosing the champions. She explained the process of submitting names to the goblet and sent them all to bed.  
  
The Durmstrang students went back to their ship and Harry and the others went to the dungeons. He never did see the Durmstrang slaves eat.  
  
The common room was absolutely abuzz with excitement. Slytherin had three students who would be submitting their names, two seventh years and one sixth. Harry didn't think the sixth year would make it since he'd been held back for low grades. Draco was, of course, telling everyone who would listen that it was really a pity about the age limit. He would have surely been Hogwarts' champion otherwise. Harry snickered to himself. There was no way Draco would have entered the competition. He was brave when Harry was with him, but alone, he was a bit of a coward.  
  
The age limit did nothing to stop either boy of dreaming about being the champion that night. They couldn't wait till the Halloween feast to find out who would be chosen.  
  
To be continued. 


	22. Tasks and Surprises

This chapter is dedicated to all of you who have been reviewing. I don't answer feedback nearly as often as I should but I do greatly appreciate it.  
  
PAIRING: Harry/Draco  
  
RATING: PG-13  
  
DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
Chapter Twenty-One  
  
The choosing of the champions had been rather anti-climatic other than the Weasley twins, the Weasel's older brothers, growing floor-length beards when they tried to fool the age line. Everyone knew that Viktor Krum would be the Durmstrang champion and no one was really surprised when the veela girl, Fleur Delacour, had been chosen for Beauxbatons. The Gryffindors had grumbled at the choice of Cedric Diggory as Hogwarts' champion, since they were sure that only a member of their house could hope to win the tournament, but everyone else seemed pleased with the choice. Cedric was a 7th year Hufflepuff, good looking, tall, pureblood, Captain and Seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and a prefect. His father worked for the Great Lord in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Draco thought he stood a good chance of winning. So, no surprises really.  
  
The days proceeded mostly as normal. Harry was aware that the champions were doing a few official things, including giving press interviews, but none of it affected him or Draco. As the date for the first task approached, he quickly became swept up in the excitement. There were all sorts of bets going round, not only about who would win the task but about what the task would actually be. Personally, Harry thought it would be grand if the task involved dragons, but not many people seemed to think that would happen. The sheer logistics of keeping the beasts in the area safely would be a nightmare.  
  
Draco had become bored with Viktor Krum fairly quickly. The young man walked like a duck, was only interested in Quidditch and had an accent so thick having a conversation with him was too much work. Neither of them wanted anything to do with Fleur. She was about the snootiest girl Harry had ever met. Draco made many remarks about it but Harry kept his mouth shut. Frankly he thought Draco could give the girl a run for her money any day.  
  
The most amusing thing was watching the groundskeeper, Hagrid, moon over Madam Maxime and follow her around like a huge hairy puppy dog. Most of the Slytherins thought that woman was downright scary. She was as big as Hagrid, so they were sure she wasn't completely human. The woman dressed in extremely expensive robes and jewels but what added most to her intimidating air were her high-heeled black lace-up boots. One of the older boys said he was sure she was a dominatrix. That had led to an hour-long discussion of just what a 'dom' was. Harry and Draco spent many an afternoon observing her, trying to see if she had a riding crop hidden somewhere on her person.  
  
*****************  
  
Morning classes flew by the day of the first task, near the end of November. Harry rushed through lunch and joined his master outside the front doors. Together they rushed with the crowd of students along the designated path, around the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and stopped to stare in awe at the sight before them. There was a huge tent decked out in medieval style with banner and pennons flapping everywhere and a sign that said 'Champions Only' over the flap. Beyond it was a tall, brightly painted enclosure partially surrounded by viewing stands. From inside the enclosure came the growls and roars of some sort of beasts. Draco and Harry looked at each and grinned before sprinting through the crowd toward the stairs. Harry was glad he could sit with his master today. This was going to be great.  
  
As they reached the top of the stairs, they were accosted by a saleswitch. Master Draco grabbed a few treats and drinks and handed them to Harry, then they made their way around the rows, looking for the best seats. They had just found a section for themselves and their friends when the obscuring screens were removed and they saw the beasts that the champions would have to face.   
  
The enclosure was divided into three smaller areas. Each area held a nesting female dragon. Harry recognized them as a Welsh Green, a Chinese Fireball and a Swedish Short-snout.   
  
"Merlin, Harry!" Draco exclaimed. "You were right!"  
  
Harry was startled. "I thought I sucked at Divination."  
  
The two boys laughed. They soon spotted some of their friends and waved them over to sit down. Draco grabbed one of the drinks and winked at Harry when he scowled at his master's manners. Soon the entire group was excitedly pointing out things about the dragons and wondering exactly what the challenge would be.  
  
They were interrupted when a rather rotund man, who Harry vaguely thought was a former Quidditch player, announced that the challenge was about to begin. The first champion called out was Cedric. He would have to steal a golden egg from the Swedish Short-snout. Harry was glad neither he nor Draco were in the tournament. He'd hate to have to face an angry mother dragon.  
  
Cedric appeared confident as he strode out into the pen. The dragon spotted him and began to pace in front of her eggs while snarling like some big cat at the intruder. She watched him closely and swished her tail. Cedric stood very still and cautiously looked around. He seemed to have spotted whatever he was looking for and swished his wand. The spectators couldn't hear what incantation he used but saw a nearby boulder transfigure into a large dog. The dragon noticed too and shifted her gaze between the wizard and dog. The dog bounded up to Cedric, who was beginning to look worried. He tried shooing the dog away but it seemed to think it was a game. Finally Cedric picked up a stick and threw it to the side but near the dragon. The dog gave chase and the dragon's attention was solely on the canine. Cedric darted in behind the distracted dragon and grabbed the golden egg. Just then the dragon remembered that there were two threats in her pen and turned to look. She saw Cedric and screeched. As he sprinted away she spit flames at him, burning the side of his head. He dashed out through the gate to safety and the dragon went back to her eggs, keening in distress. A couple of dragon handlers appeared over the enclosure wall and cast calming charms on her.  
  
The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief. The boys promptly began talking loudly and excitedly about the champion's brush with death.  
  
Next up was Fleur from Beauxbatons. The girl strode out into the pen calmly. The Welsh Green just glared at her from atop her pile of eggs. There was a low growl-like rumble coming from the angry dragon that could be felt more than heard by the crowd. Fleur did not seem daunted in the least. She began waving her wand, weaving an intricate pattern with it in the air. Harry could tell that she was speaking a rather long incantation. He wondered just what they taught at Beauxbatons since this was nothing like any of the spells they taught at Hogwarts. The dragon's head began to weave like one of those cobras they charmed in India. Its eyelids drooped slightly and it lowered its head. Slowly, Fleur began to advance, still weaving her spell. She walked right up to the dragon and began looking around for the golden egg. After a bit she found it and bent down to pick it up. At this point there was an odd burbling sound and the Welsh Green belched a tiny jet of flame at the girl. The edge of her robes caught fire and she jumped. She quickly put out the flame with a jet of water from her wand and immediately went back to her incantation. The dragon's head swung to follow Fleur's progress all the way out of the pen.  
  
It was quite an ingenious approach to the problem but wasn't nearly as exciting as what Cedric had done. The boys were completely unimpressed.  
  
The last champion was Krum. He walked into the pen haughtily. The Chinese Fireball reared up and roared at him. Before he even threw his first spell the dragon was breathing flame at him. She had heard her companions fighting and was in no mood to play around. She placed herself in front of her eggs and prepared to defend them with her life. Krum dodged the flames clumsily and aimed a curse. Either he missed or it didn't have any effect. He tried to circle her but she wasn't leaving her eggs. As she thrust out her head to spit fire again, he cast his curse. This time it hit. The dragon was now obviously in pain and enraged. She whipped her head around and thrashed her tail. Harry thought the curse must have blinded one eye since she kept trying to turn her head to keep Krum in sight. Krum ducked past her to grab the egg but the dragon seemed to sense him. She stepped back to get him in sight. The crowd gasped as everyone heard a loud crunch as she crushed one of her eggs. The dragon heard it too. She let out a bellowing wail and began snapping blindly at the space around her trying to find her attacker without hurting any more of her eggs. Krum grabbed the golden egg and raced out. The dragon handlers had cast the first of their calming charms before he had cleared the gate.  
  
The handlers swarmed the Chinese Fireball's pen, trying to assess the damage. The crowd seemed shocked. Dragons were protected creatures and not easy to breed and raise. They all wondered what effect this would have on Krum's score.  
  
Krum was the only champion who had not been hurt. He'd lost points for causing damage to the other eggs but still managed to come in first. The boys were not pleased.  
  
***********  
  
The first week of December, Headmistress McGonagall announced that there would be a Yule ball this year for those in fourth year and above. Students were allowed to bring dates from other years, including those recently graduated. Slaves were also encouraged to attend. At first they had been excited, until Draco received an owl from home informing him that his date would be Pansy and that Harry was to take Sally Ann. Both boys grumbled about it. Miss Pansy was an even bigger pain in the arse than usual. Sally Ann just looked at Harry with trepidation. He finally promised not to push her down if she promised not to kiss him. They agreed to each other's terms and Harry was surprised to find that he felt much less stressed. Master Draco, on the other hand, was a basket case.  
  
Draco didn't want to go with Pansy. He didn't want to wear the robes he'd bought. He didn't want to go to the dance. He didn't like Pansy's robes. Harry was going to break down and strangle him any minute now. He'd finally resorted to sitting his master down one evening in their room and trying to explain it logically. Since there was nothing they could do about it. There was no sense getting all worked up. They would still be there with their friends and they would have a good time. It finally occurred to him that there might be something else behind Draco's temper.  
  
"Did you want to go with someone else, Master?"  
  
Draco sat on the edge of his bed, staring across the room with his arms hanging between his knees. "No. I guess not. It's just not fair. Everyone else gets to pick their own dates."  
  
Harry laughed. "You haven't been paying much attention then. Half the students are bitching about getting letters just like yours telling them who they can go with."  
  
"Really?" Draco said as he looked up in surprise.  
  
"Really. You're not the only person whose parents have already picked out a spouse for."  
  
Draco just looked at him oddly.  
  
****************  
  
The day of the ball, Harry was extremely busy making sure Draco's robes and shoes were in perfect order. His own were just fine. Then he had to make sure the gifts for the girls were ready. Draco had gotten Pansy some jewelled barrettes and Harry had got Sally Ann one with a small flower on it. When the packaging finally met Draco's approval, Harry trotted off to find the girls. They were in their room. He delivered the gifts with a smile and a bow and rushed back to Draco to deliver the girls' thank you messages.  
  
He spent the rest of the day trying to keep Draco in hand. He resorted to stripping the boy's shirt off and pinning him to the bed for a massage. He woke Draco up in time to get into their robes and change Draco's hairstyle four times. It ended up looking the way it always did and Harry wondered why they had bothered. He groaned thinking about the mess in the bathroom he was going to have to clean up after the ball.  
  
They met the girls in the common room and Harry had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud at Pansy. She was in the frilliest pink set of dress robes he had ever seen. Sally Ann looked slightly better in some sort of pale bluish/green get up that at least didn't have ruffles. It did have bows. Both girls were wearing their gifts.  
  
Harry offered his arm to Sally Ann, who took it gently. Pansy didn't wait for Draco to offer before she was latched onto him like a limpet. Harry and Sally Ann glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. At least Harry's date would be semi-entertaining. They waited for the rest of their group to get there before setting off to the entrance hall, where they were supposed to meet Theodore and Justin. Theodore was taking Miss Millicent, which pleased both Harry and Draco. The two made a good couple. Justin hadn't said whom he was taking but it wasn't Hermione. She was going with one of the older Hufflepuffs' slave.   
  
When they were finally all together, it was revealed that Justin wasn't taking anyone. Harry and Dean immediately set to harassing him. Justin turned beet red and threatened to hex them with the bat-bogey curse.   
  
Soon the front doors opened and the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons entered. Harry could see the lawn outside had been transformed into a fairyland. There were more rose bushes than he could count and statues of Father Christmas and all his reindeer. There appeared to be hundreds of live fairies flitting about the whole area, lighting up the bushes.  
  
Professor Snape called the champions and their dates over to him. Harry saw that Fleur had arrived with Roger Davies, the Captain of the Ravenclaw team. Cedric had brought Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker. Krum had brought Michael Corner, another Ravenclaw. It seemed Ravenclaw had a monopoly on the champions tonight.   
  
His attention turned to the doors of the Great Hall as Professor Vector motioned them all to enter. Harry and Sally Ann followed their masters through the doors. Inside, the long student tables had been replaced by many small round tables. Harry led Sally Ann to a table next to the one their masters had chosen. They were joined by Justin, Dean - who had brought Lisa, and Hermione with - much to Justin's chagrin - her date.  
  
They looked over the menus and placed their orders. The food was delicious and the conversation wasn't bad. They were highly entertained by Hagrid getting tipsy and trying to flirt with Madam Maxime. Soon everyone was done and stood up so the tables could clear themselves out of the way. A small stage was conjured and an eclectic mix of instruments appeared on it. Applause began in the back of the room and Harry turned to see the Weird Sisters entering the hall. They were dressed in their usual artfully torn black robes. They mounted the stage and picked up their instruments.  
  
Sally Ann leaned towards Hermione. "Isn't Herman just gorgeous?" she asked.   
  
Harry smirked. "I don't know. I rather fancy Gideon, myself."  
  
The girls both sputtered and Hermione reached behind Sally Ann and smacked Harry in the back of the head. He tried to look innocent but seemed to fail. Just then the lanterns went out and the band began a slow dance. The students all waited while the champions got up to dance the first dance. Eventually the professors signalled that the rest of them could join in. Harry bowed to Sally Ann and offered her his hand. She took it and Harry wrapped an arm about her waist and went to swirl her out onto the floor, only to be stopped as she tripped over his feet.  
  
Harry looked at her stunned for a moment and settled for shuffling her out onto the dance floor. He hadn't even thought that maybe she wouldn't know how to dance. They slowly made their way around, Harry trying to be careful to keep his feet out of range. He caught sight of Draco, who was looking extremely cross. As soon as the dance was finished, Harry escorted Sally Ann back to the table and told her he was going for drinks. Apparently his master also thought that was a good idea.  
  
"I can't believe that cow!" Draco exclaimed. "She has already stepped on my toes a dozen times."  
  
"Sally Ann isn't much better."  
  
The boys leaned back against a wall and commiserated for a while longer before deciding they had been absent about as long as possible. They sat at their respective tables and tried to entertain their dates as much as possible so they wouldn't want to dance. As the night wore on, Draco got grumpier and grumpier. Sally Ann had improved but apparently Pansy had not. He was sure there was going to be a scene.  
  
Sure enough, while he was carefully steering Sally Ann about, things went cockeyed. He heard a screech of outrage from nearby and turned in time to see Draco fling Pansy's hands off him. The blond looked around searchingly and finally settled on Harry before stalking over. Draco wrenched Harry away from Sally Ann and grabbed him about the waist.   
  
"This is how you dance properly," he yelled at Pansy and proceeded to whirl them about the floor. The crowd parted and just watched, impressed. Harry realized that he had grown since the last time they'd done this. He now had to look down a few centimetres at his master. The look of determination on Draco's face made Harry break into giggles. Draco glared up at him. When it finally sunk in that he had just made a huge public scene, he began giggling too.  
  
That was all it took for the boys to abandon their dates for the rest of the night. They had a great time and were immensely entertained by the death glares being aimed at them by their scorned dates. They didn't care. It was the most fun they'd had in ages. They danced and drank and laughed with their friends. When the ball was finally over, the two of them stumbled tiredly back to their rooms, occasionally colliding with each other. When they got inside the door, Draco grabbed Harry for an impromptu waltz to his out of tune humming.   
  
"You make the best girl, Harry."  
  
Harry laughed. "Hah, we're going to have to change that now that I'm taller than you."  
  
"No you aren't," Draco retorted indignantly. They stopped twirling as Draco looked up. Harry felt the grin slowly disappear off his face. Draco was looking at him all funny and suddenly time seemed to stop. He saw Draco's face moving closer but couldn't quite comprehend what was happening. He hesitated and then leaned down to meet his master's lips. He felt Draco's sigh and closed his eyes. Their lips pressed softly together and it was just the most amazing thing Harry had ever felt. Draco moved a bit closer and Harry let his arm slip about the blond's shoulders, gently holding him close. Both their hearts beating like captive snitches. It was scary and wonderful and like something out of a dream. Harry opened his mouth slightly and nipped at the other boy's lips with his own. Draco melted into him. They just pressed their lips together, relaxing and tensing them inexpertly for several minutes before Harry became aware of his surroundings again and the fact that his glasses were askew. He pulled back just enough to gaze into his master's eyes. Draco softly smiled up at him.  
  
"Wow."  
  
Harry's smile got bigger. "That was much better than the first time you kissed me," he whispered hoarsely.  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow. "The first ti- oh, when we were, what, seven, eight years old?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry laughed softly at the memory.  
  
"Well, that's good then, yeah?" Draco said very quietly.  
  
"Yeah," Harry replied and bent his head to kiss Draco again.   
  
To be continued. 


	23. New Discoveries

RATING: PG-13/R  
  
DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created the Harry Potter characters and universe. I'm just using them in my own plot.  
  
ARCHIVE: Please ask.  
  
A/N:   
  
*This is inspired by a challenge put forth by nightshade on the glassesreflect list. This does not meet the specifics of that challenge.  
  
*16 Galleons equals $117.28 or 80 Pounds Sterling.   
  
*Thank you Lillian for being my muse, MeLi and Dementor Delta for being betas. I couldn't write without you.   
  
WARNING: AU in which slavery is commonplace.  
  
WE ARE NOW BORDERING ON AN R RATING.  
  
**************  
  
Chapter Twenty-Two  
  
**************  
  
Harry grinned at the canopy when he woke up. He'd been dreaming of nothing but Draco's kisses since the night of the Yule ball. Draco's mouth was so sweet, and his hair was so soft. Harry stretched and squirmed as he brushed against the covers. He'd have to take another long shower this morning. Draco seemed to be doing a lot of that lately too. He grinned to himself again.  
  
They had got a letter from Master Malfoy two days after the Yule ball ordering them to apologize, publicly, to the girls. Master Malfoy had gone on to spell out for them exactly how they had both shirked their duty and caused him embarrassment. It wasn't a howler, but the tone got the point across. The ending note softened the blow. It said Mistress Malfoy would be having tea with Mistress Parkinson to discuss dancing lessons for the girls. Draco's mother was downright miffed that the girl chosen for her son to marry had not been taught something so important to society. Draco had dutifully purchased good chocolates and presented them to Pansy after dinner a few nights later. Both boys apologized in front of their classmates for mistreating their dates.   
  
A little while later, as Harry was getting ready to open the door for his master so they could head down to breakfast, Draco swooped in front of him and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck.  
  
"Meet me in front of that weird urn on the front lawn before the second task?"  
  
"Of course, Master Draco."  
  
Draco kissed him softly, then opened his mouth and invited Harry's tongue out to play. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's waist and pressed him back into the door. They stood there for several minutes, just letting their tongues explore back and forth making Harry feel weak in the knees and wound like a spring at the same time. This was a new trick of Draco's and Harry quite liked it. He moaned and finally pulled away to avoid embarrassing himself.  
  
Draco smiled downright evilly at him before pushing away from the door. They both composed themselves before joining the rest of the world. Although it was common practice for masters to experiment with their slaves, to the point of being expected, it wasn't really something done in public. Besides, Harry had a feeling this was more than just experimentation. That wouldn't go over well at all considering the Malfoys' social and political position. In any event, he and Draco kept up a proper public appearance.  
  
At around nine o'clock, Harry headed out to the front lawn and waited for Draco by what they referred to as 'the weird urn'. It was the oddest piece of statuary either of them had ever seen. They were pretty sure it was supposed to be an urn but, beyond that, the strange protrusions and forms had them stumped.  
  
Draco arrived just a bit late, as usual, and they headed out to the lake, joining up with their usual crowd half-way there. They all chatted excitedly as they sat down to see what this task was going to entail.  
  
The champions were led to the edge of the lake and spread out ten feet apart. Fleur and Cedric were in robes, but Viktor was wearing swim trunks. Harry thought the boy must be crazy to wear so little in late February but then remembered that Krum could be using a warming spell. One of the officials announced that the champions had one hour to recover what was taken from them and gave a short count down. The three champions walked into the water. They each did some charms; Fleur and Cedric using Bubblehead, Viktor doing a partial transformation turning his upper body into that of a shark, and they were gone below the surface of the lake.  
  
The boys sat there for several minutes before Draco turned to Harry. "Did he say an hour?"  
  
"Yes, Master Draco."  
  
"So we are just supposed to sit here and stare at the lake all that time?"  
  
Harry shrugged.   
  
"I'm not sitting here for a bloody hour watching the ripples. Come on, Harry. There are more interesting things to do."  
  
Harry saw the look of mischief in his master's eyes and grinned in return. They left their friends and headed back to the dorm.  
  
When they got to their room Draco led them over to his bed and Harry laughed. "What?" Draco asked, feigning innocence.  
  
Harry laughed again. "I knew this was what you wanted to do."  
  
Draco arched a brow. "Don't you think it's more interesting than watching ripples on the surface of the lake?"  
  
"Definitely," Harry answered as he kissed Draco's nose.  
  
Draco gave an indignant huff and flipped them over onto the bed. This was new, too. They'd only kissed standing up or sitting on the couch. This seemed a lot more intimate. It excited Harry but also made him nervous. He didn't think his master would ask him to do anything he was uncomfortable with but the chance was always there. Honestly he didn't think Draco was ready for much more, either. They still giggled when they stole a kiss somewhere outside their room.  
  
Harry reflected that Draco didn't feel all that heavy lying on top of him. In fact, it felt pretty good. When Draco lowered his head and pressed their lips together, Harry pretty much ceased to think of anything other than the wonderful feeling coursing through him. Draco was propped up on his elbows, which were on either side of Harry's shoulders, with his hands tangled in Harry's hair. Harry had his arms wrapped around his master's waist and back and held them close together. His glasses were sliding up his forehead but he really didn't care. Draco's mouth was soft and warm, and all he wanted was to feel it against his own.   
  
Then he felt his master press against him and realized Draco was in the same condition himself. It embarrassed him at first. He tried to crawl away but Draco just grumbled into his mouth and pressed him down into the bed. Once he finally relaxed he wondered at just how good it felt. There were little sparks and shock waves originating where they touched and hesitantly rubbed against each other. It made him even lighter headed than Draco's kisses. Draco melted into him when Harry held him tighter.  
  
Harry could hardly catch his breath. "This feels good," he said as Draco kissed his neck.  
  
"Very good," Draco replied as he shifted a bit. Harry found it hard to breathe.  
  
"Should we really be doing this?"  
  
"No, but I want to." Draco paused in his kissing. "You want to, too, don't you?" Draco asked, sounding uncertain.  
  
Harry thought for a minute. "This is good. I like this a lot. I'm just..."  
  
Draco propped himself up further so he could look at Harry. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to."  
  
Harry looked up at Draco, "I want to do everything with you, just not yet."  
  
Draco smiled. "That's all right then."  
  
Harry grinned, then smirked. Before Draco could figure out what he was up to, Harry flipped them over so that Draco was pinned and began kissing his master's neck and face. He was very pleased with the results. Draco had the cutest squeak but his moan was even better.  
  
Harry had no idea how long they lay there kissing before they heard some other students in the hall outside their door. The two boys got up, straightened their robes and the bed, and tried to catch their breath. They looked at each other and grinned senselessly. Harry hoped they could get themselves together or everyone was going to know they had been making out. He paused in his thoughts. They had been making out… He knew he must look like a complete moron at the moment because he knew his grin had got bigger.  
  
************  
  
Owls continued to arrive from Malfoy Manor over the next couple of months. Both boys were pleased that Mrs. Carter seemed to be improving steadily.   
  
Professor Lupin required Harry to give him an update weekly on how his scar was feeling. So far there were no problems. For the first time in ages it just felt like the rest of his skin. Harry hadn't even known before that it felt different. It was one of those 'you don't miss it 'till it's gone' things, he guessed.  
  
The end of the school year brought with it the third task. The Quidditch pitch had been transformed into a hedge maze for the champions to battle their way through. The odds on favourite was Krum.   
  
Harry sat with his master and their friends where they had a good view of the field. They couldn't see much other than the hedges. They enjoyed some treats and tried to guess what was going on inside the maze from the occasional shower of sparks, sound of explosion and burst of flames they could see over the top. Finally it was announced by the judges that Viktor Krum had taken the cup. It was a relaxing afternoon away from classes if nothing else.  
  
The leaving feast was a celebration. Speeches were made, goodbyes were said to the other schools' champions. No one slept that night.  
  
To be continued. 


End file.
